Always There
by Peppermint Kiss
Summary: After so many years of not understanding and ignorance, it all comes together during several series of encounters...and marriage? This chronicles the married life of Byakuya and Rukia, together, as they struggle through the obstacles. Chapter 14 is up!
1. We're married?

**Always There Ch. 1 - We're Married?**

**author: **Peppermint Kiss

**date: **1-1-08 (re-write)

**disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite, not me.

**A/N:** A sad title that doesn't really suit the fic, I know, but it was the best I could think of (shows you my intelligence range).

Enjoy :D

* * *

Finally, it was over. 

Finally, Rukia was out of the stifling, tight, hot, and utterly over-the-top kimono for the wedding ceremony (she almost threw it into the koi pond back at the Kuchiki mansion, but she figured that the Kuchiki clan as a whole wouldn't be very pleased at her ruining a probably priceless kimono).

Finally, Rukia had bade farewell to all of the wedding guests (including the very disgruntled Abarai Renji and Kurosaki Ichigo, whom had made exaggerated points about asking her if she was sure that this was the right thing to do).

Finally, Rukia was truly, officially…married, even though she had never thought this day would come, and she had certainly imagined it to be...different.

Rukia was married to...Byakuya.

Rukia gulped as the understanding fully sank in and hit her, hard, when she saw the one king-size bed in the center of the bedroom. She had foolishly thought that perhaps she could still sleep in her room and Byakuya could still sleep in his room and--

_Baka, baka, baka!_

She had been so _stupid_ to not think of the only one bed couples were expected to share after marriage. Maybe she and Byakuya could be a dysfunctional couple...and probably be disowned by the whole Kuchiki clan.

Rukia sighed, and then stopped, horrified, and another thought sprang to her mind.

Didn't newlyweds have…sex on their first night together? She had heard Renji crassly talking about such things one night (she suspected he had been drunk).

_Oh hell no._

Byakuya-sama is—well, _was_, at any rate—her nii-sama! Rukia should be proud that she managed to kick the habit of calling Byakuya-sama "nii-sama", since that wouldn't do in a married relationship.

Rukia, at this point, realized that she was panicking, but her frantic thoughts were cut short when the door to the bathroom opened, and Byakuya-sama himself stepped into the bedroom.

_I wonder... if I slink under the covers and lie still, maybe he won't notice me…I'll just be a bunch of extra pillows..._

Rukia was sure that many of the other women shinigami would be quite delighted to be in this position, snuggling up to Kuchiki-taichou of the Sixth Division.

Rukia had always had sharp ears, and the gossip concerning her nii-sama always, somehow, reached her, no matter how much she would much rather prefer to _not_ hear it.

"_Oh, there's Captain Kuchiki…isn't he dreamy?"_

"_I wouldn't mind going to bed with that piece of work."_

"_But still, his personality…he's so cold and hostile!"_

"_Yes, but you can't deny he's good-looking…"_

Ise Nanao, for one, despite her serious looks, founded the Kuchiki Byakuya fan club in the Women's Shinigami Association, gathering startling amounts of members within the first few weeks.

Nanao had tried to recruit Rukia with a scary leer, saying that Rukia was sure to have pictures or something of Byakuya half-undressed or in the shower.

Rukia had never run out of the Eighth Division so fast.

No matter how much Rukia squinted at Byakuya, trying to see what the other women shinigami saw, her nii-sama was still her nii-sama.

Rukia, against her better judgment, climbed into bed, for a moment sinking luxuriously into the softness of the mattress and lavish, tasseled pillows. Then, a weight on the other side of the bed told Rukia that Byakuya had sat down as well.

Rukia sank even lower into the pillows, if possible. She knew that coming into the marriage was a bad idea. True, it was "good for the clan", and it was surprising that even the elders had at last given their approval after a mere two months of debate and arguments. And the Kuchiki clan made it sure to tell anyone who gave the married couple a dubious look that it was _not_ an incestuous relationship, since Rukia and Byakuya were not technically related by blood.

Oh, yes, the Kuchiki clan could be very intimidating indeed when solving matters like these.

Rukia stared fixedly at the silk sleeping yukata she was wearing, her eyes tracing over the delicate lace hem, trying to look at anything, but Byakuya-sama. Rukia hadn't been so nervous about the wedding ceremony, since she had practiced the vows and the ceremonial steps thousands of times with the creaky old etiquette master that must have been with the Kuchikis for centuries, and she was sure she could maintain the necessary appearances at the ceremony next to Byakuya-sama…but sleeping with him?

No way in hell.

Rukia's eyes widened when Byakuya took off his shirt, carelessly tossing it onto an armchair in the corner. Lean muscles rippled under skin as Rukia realized the great Kuchiki-taichou slept only in black silk pajama pants.

Rukia was indeed starting to feel rather uneasy. She frantically thought that _this_ hadn't been described in the contract (the hypothetical contract, at least, that she drew up in her mind).

Not a word had been spoken at all during this time of Rukia's thought process, and Rukia felt the tension building up in the air. She needed to do something to break it…anything would do.

Byakuya sat on the edge of the bed, trying to tease his hair out of the _kenseiken_ it had been set in that morning. His fingers were patient, but the _kenseikan _refused to budge.

Rukia slid out from under the covers and crawled over to him, placing her small hands on his. She saw the muscles in his shoulders bunch up in surprise at her soft touch.

"Let me," she murmured softly.

Byakuya paused for a moment, and Rukia's mind backtracked, screaming at her that this had been a bad idea, that she never should have been so bold in the first place; but then Byakuya's head imperceptibly nodded and his hands floated back down to his sides.

Rukia's nimble fingers gently pulled the _kenseiken _off of Byakuya-sama's incredibly soft hair. Rukia loved the way his hair slipped against her fingers, and he gave off a faint smell of _sakura_, cherry blossoms, but with a musky undertone that was unmistakably Byakuya-sama's.

…Wait, since when did Rukia start noticing how Byakuya-sama smelled like?

Rukia slipped Byakuya-sama's hair through the last _kenseiken_, and placed it on his night table before retreating back to her side of the bed. She stiffly lay under the covers, thinking that the ceiling looked rather fascinating, instead of Byakuya.

The covers shifted, and a warm weight climbed in next to her. Rukia shrank back, unconsciously, before Byakuya turned to face her.

A warm hand brushed the side of her cheek and Rukia's eyes widened, but she calmed, slightly, when Byakuya spoke.

"Sleep, Rukia," Byakuya murmured. "Nothing will happen tonight."

Simple words.

And with that, Byakuya extinguished the light and proceeded to (from what Rukia assumed) fall asleep fairly quickly. Rukia thought, with a soft snicker, that he must have been as tired as she had been from the wedding ceremonies and pompous celebration as well.

Rukia lay there, wide awake, for several minutes, maybe an hour. She could feel the warmth Byakuya's body cast off, and she wondered how hard it would be to wrap her arms around him while he was sleeping and snuggle into his body. She could hear his heartbeat…or was it hers, pounding loudly in her ears?

Rukia lay, pondering these thoughts and the new situation she was in, before eventually, some time after midnight, when the moon hung peacefully in the sky and the mansion was silent and tranquil, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Byakuya awoke sometime in the night to feel a warm figure huddled against the curve of his body, skin pressed against the bare skin on his back. Byakuya gently rolled over, and Rukia let out a blissful sigh, immediately cuddling in closer to his warmth, her breath blowing softly on his skin. 

For perhaps the first time in years, the cold captain of the sixth division allowed a smile to spread across his face, a content, affectionate smile. He eased back onto the bed, and tilted his head, admiring the way Rukia's hair glimmered purple, and then blue, in the moonlight, and her lashes fluttering up and down and casting small shadows on her cheekbones in sync with her breathing.

To this day, Byakuya would claim that he didn't know what made him do something so drastic, but it couldn't be argued against that slowly, Byakuya wrapped an arm around Rukia's small body, sliding it closer to him.

She made a small noise and stirred slightly, and Byakuya froze, but she continued sleeping. Byakuya then wrapped his arms securely around Rukia's small body, pulling her even closer in to his chest. The top of her head fit neatly under Byakuya's chin, and her breaths continued, undisturbed, onto his collarbone.

Byakuya smiled in satisfaction as Rukia's own arms lifted of their own volition and encircled his body. He easily fell asleep again, slipping into the dark abysses of his mind, thinking only about Rukia...his Rukia.

-_to be continued...-_

* * *

**A/N:** All right guys. Here's the deal - Always There is undergoing a huge re write because I was really really unhappy with the writing and formatting of the first few chapters, so don't be too shocked if the chapters start to vary in style a bit - I'm working on it as fast as I can! 

Review, and arigato :D


	2. The first morning in your arms

**100situations Prompt 84 – The Morning After**

**Title:** Always There

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Table: **Four

**Prompt:** #84 - The Morning After

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belongs to Kubo Tite, not me (sadly).

**A/N:** The second chapter! Yay?

**

* * *

**

Rukia awoke early the next morning, just slightly before dawn, feeling something warm all around her body.

Cracking open an eye, she found herself next to a very warm male body.

It was _comfortable_, and that was all Rukia could manage to think of for the next few seconds while her mind cleared away the haze of sleep from her mind.

It took another minute or so to realize she was in Byakuya-sama's grasp, next to _his_ body.

Rukia wondered when, exactly, had this occurred.

Byakuya shifted slightly in his sleep, and Rukia immediately froze, trying not to wriggle too much in fear of waking the head of the family up.

What was this feeling Rukia felt? This feeling of…completeness. She felt like she could stay in this position forever, this feeling of security and comfort.

_So different from my early years, in Rukongai…the danger of being killed, of being caught, of being abandoned…_

_So different from my days in the shinigami academy, being left behind because I was branded as "stupid" and in the lower class, watching Renji head off to battle demi-hollows with Izuru and Hinamori…I would never get that chance…_

_So different from my shinigami days in the thirteenth division, under Ukitake-taichou…taichou never could lead the division very well, he was too sick…I was only left to gaze up as Renji quickly ascended the ranks and soon landed a seated position in nii-sama's division…I would never be like him…_

_So different from when I was in the mortal world, always worrying for that baka, Ichigo, who seemed to court death at every turn…the first time I found a real friend other than Renji that actually cared for me…_

_So different from when I sat for so many days in the tower overlooking the Soukyouko, reminiscing about the years that have passed… why nii-sama didn't save me, why Renji didn't save me, and whether Ichigo was dead or not battling his way into Seireitei…_

_So different from when nii-sama took that wound meant for me…all those times when I thought nii-sama was indifferent, didn't care about me…really, he was confused, and I would be too…Hisana…onee-chan…I wish I could've met you, I wish I could remember you…if you captivated nii-sama like that, you must surely be special…_

So different from all of those experiences.

* * *

Rukia felt something…something she couldn't quite place her finger on, but she was sure that something was missing. 

Using slow movements, Rukia succeeded in gently untangling herself from Byakuya's arms without awaking him. Rukia's bare feet rustled softly on the wooden floor as she padded around Byakuya's room.

Rukia realized that she had never been in her before. She supposed she didn't notice that this was Byakuya-sama's room, last night.

Perhaps she had been a bit too preoccupied panicking about…other things.

Hisana's portrait gazed serenely at Rukia on a table, and Rukia picked it up, caressing the frame Hisana was immortalized in.

_Don't worry, onee-chan. Byakuya-sama is happy, and that's all you wanted, right?_

Rukia placed the picture back on the table, before she slid open the door to Byakuya's closet.

Rows of standard shinigami uniforms met Rukia's eyes, all neatly arranged on hangers. Formal wear was placed on the far right, and the socks and sandals that accompanied the shinigami uniform were neatly placed on the closet floor. Byakuya's prized scarf occupied a hanger all to itself, coiled neatly and hanging loosely on the hanger.

Rukia caught a flash of white amongst the black of the shinigami uniforms, and reaching into the closet, she pulled out Byakuya's captain's _haori, _the number six boldly printed on the back.

Rukia slipped on the _haori_, even though it engulfed her in white fabric. But the _haori_ smelled like Byakuya, and it contented Rukia to simply lie there in his captain's _haori_ and reminisce.

When Rukia climbed back into the bed, Byakuya's arms wrapped around her again, and Rukia found it so much easier to fall asleep again in Byakuya's embrace than during all of those cold nights, alone in her room in the Kuchiki mansion.

During those nights, she had always wished, hoped, that somebody would come and keep her company...but nobody ever came.

* * *

Byakuya blinked open drowsy eyes upon feeling Rukia get back into the bed, and as his arms went around her again (Byakuya would never admit to this, but he liked holding Rukia like this, it reassured him that Rukia was still there and she would always be there), Byakuya encountered a new material. 

Byakuya's fingers slid, feather-light, down the new material, before he slowly traced the number six on the back.

_Ah…my captain's haori_.

Byakuya couldn't be bothered to think too thoroughly about why Rukia was wearing his captain's _haori_ this early in the morning, so he did nothing but pull Rukia closer and fall asleep just as the first rays of sunlight lit up the sky.

-_fin_-

A/N: Wow, the fic was probably really bad...oh well, reviews are appreciated, and flames will be used to make ramen.


	3. Musical exploration

**100situations Prompt 77 - Instrument**

**Title:** Always There (Part III)

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Table:** Four

**Prompt:** 77 - Instrument

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**A/N:** Ha, I decided to extend the original twopart fic. So yay, here's part three!

* * *

It has been two weeks, as of now, Rukia noted to Sode no Shirayuki as she tucked her zanpakuto back into its sheath.

Two weeks of marriage.

Two weeks of a stilted marriage, Rukia corrected herself. It pained her to admit it, but even though Byakuya was her lawfully wedded husband, as she was his lawfully wedded wife, their relationship still hadn't progressed.

It was the same "ohayo, Byakuya-sama" every morning when Rukia descended the stairs to breakfast. Byakuya, it seemed, always got up earlier than her and was already eating breakfast when Rukia showed up at the dining room.

Every day when Rukia trained, she passed by the sixth division headquarters. _To see Renji_, she told herself. But, she always found herself instead straining to catch a glimpse of a certain white _haori_ (that had felt so comfortable, too).

It soothed Rukia, to see Byakuya sitting at his desk, neat brushstrokes swirling across the papers stacked in front of him. He looked so calm and composed (although Rukia knew for a fact that Byakuya detested paperwork and would much rather use Senbonzakura to cut it all to pieces).

It was only at night, when all inhibitions were let loose. No words or sounds needed to be uttered. Byakuya always held Rukia when they slept. Rukia herself didn't know if he was awake or asleep, but she didn't object.

Rukia reveled in those moments of relative intimacy, unconsciously snuggling closer into Byakuya's warm chest, falling asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat.

* * *

The next morning was Rukia's free day off from her duties in the thirteenth division. Byakuya, as taichou, had no free days and Rukia bade him a soft goodbye at the door after breakfast before Byakuya shunpoed off into the distance.

Usually, Rukia took excessively long walks on the Kuchiki grounds to admire the flowers or the pond. But soon after Rukia finished a late breakfast all alone, thunder boomed and the rain poured down.

Rukia trained with Sode no Shirayuki for a while in a spare guest room, taking care not to break anything. After Rukia wore herself out, she simply curled on the bed, talking to her zanpakuto and inhaling the scent of Byakuya on his pillow next to hers.

When Rukia got hungry after some time, it took her a while to walk in circles until she found the kitchen, where she then got shooed out by the mortified cook and kitchen servants, who would not permit her to step foot in the kitchen to get some food.

Instead, Rukia had to sit at the vast dining table (that was rarely ever used) and eat her simple lunch there.

Deciding that she was bored, and to hell with being a proper Kuchiki lady, Rukia set out on her sudden idea to explore the entirety of the Kuchiki estate (a massive task in itself).

Soon, Rukia was aimlessly wandering the long and winding halls of the main Kuchiki estate. Rukia wondered why Byakuya-sama kept such a large estate (that only the head of the clan could live in) when only he and Rukia lived in it, along with the servants.

Rukia knew that the living quarters were all largely in the east wing, where the room she and Byakuya shared was. But, she had rarely ever ventured into the west wing, and she wondered what might be there.

Abruptly changing direction, Rukia took a turn, and continued walking, her feet soft against the marble floor.

* * *

_It's official,_ Rukia thought, settling herself into a small alcove.

_I'm lost._

_But, the west wing is _beautiful

Indeed, the west wing was filled with priceless pieces of artwork, ranging from exquisite sculptures to detailed paintings. Rukia had found a room filled with scrolls, detailing the entire history of Seireitei in fascinating detail that Rukia vowed to read once she got a chance (and if she could find said room again).

Another room was filled with vases, some fine porcelain vases gilded with gold, others plain clay vases that were glazed a deep red or a delicate blue.

Lining the hallways were large, several-panel glass windows that offered a grand view of the Kuchiki grounds, as well as Seireitei from the hill the Kuchiki estate had been built upon. If it hadn't been raining, Rukia was sure that the sun shining in would light up the hallways beautifully.

Arising from her spot in the alcove, Rukia continued walking on, finally coming to a closed door.

* * *

_That's odd,_ Rukia thought. _All of the other doors were open, but this one is closed._

Of course, curiosity flared up within Rukia.

_Well, I'm properly married to Byakuya-sama anyways…so this is my estate, too. _

Opening the door, Rukia gasped at what was inside.

* * *

A lush red curtain had been pulled across the window in the room, but as Rukia walked into the room, her feet encountering thick carpet, her reiatsu activated a light that lit up the whole room in a soft glow.

In the center of the room was a grand piano.

The surface reflected the light in the room, and there were no scratches on any part of the piano. Coming closer, Rukia saw the keys were intact.

Pressing down on one, a note chimed through the air, cutting through the sound of the rain striking against the window.

_Ah…a C._

Rukia had had some semblance of a musical education at the shinigami academy, where to graduate, an art course was required. Rukia had immediately been rejected by the drawing class (for obvious reasons, the teacher said, although Rukia never quite understood why; even Byakuya-sama's influence had not helped), and she had never felt a strong calling to sing.

So, Rukia settled for a musical class. The music teacher had been kind enough to teach her the basics of piano, and Rukia soon caught on. The music teacher had been delighted to discover the Rukia had a perfect ear, able to tell a C from a C sharp, or a D.

But that had been years, perhaps even decades, ago.

Rukia wondered if she could still be able to play some of the pieces she had learned at the shinigami academy. Settling herself on the piano bench, a scent caught her attention.

_This scent…it's so familiar. I…Byakuya. It smells like Byakuya-sama._

_So this is Byakuya's piano._

Upon closer inspection, the keys were rather worn, but the piano was still beautifully in tune.

Settling her hands on the smooth ivory of the piano keys, a sensation Rukia hadn't experienced in so long, she took a breath, and began to play.

She started out hesitantly at first, but her playing swelled as she remembered the parts, how the notes flowed together, and how her fingers rushed over the keys.

She didn't notice a shadow standing in the open door, watching her.

* * *

Byakuya hadn't played the piano for so long, ever since Hisana had died. But oddly, he found himself drawn to the grand room, his fingers skimming over keys that hadn't been played in so long.

Byakuya was quite a talented pianist (he was Kuchiki, he had to have learned from the best), and Hisana was quite the avid learner when she had demanded Byakuya to teach her how to play (probably as a testament to show that she _was_, in fact, musically inclined, no matter how horrible her singing was).

It startled Byakuya when Hisana improved rapidly and developed a new passion for the instrument.

Many a rainy afternoon had passed, playing a simple duet on the piano, enjoying the presence of the other.

Byakuya took a step forward, but then stayed back.

_Let her play,_ Senbonzakura hummed. _Forget the old memories, and create new ones._

He would show his new wife how to really play on the piano, later.

-_fin_-

_to be continued..._

A/N: Review, and I just might be tempted to post the next chapter sooner ;)

_to be continued…_


	4. A little ray of sunshine

**Title:** Always There (Part IV)

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Table:** Four

**Prompt:** 96 - _Writer's Choice:_ Kitten

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**A/N:** Part Four...Byakuya struggles with, of all things, a _kitten_. From Byakuya's POV, and maybe, a shocking ending? Lol. Many thanks to all the reviewers who stuck with me for so long and inspired me to write another chapter. Here's this one, to all of you:)

* * *

Kuchiki Byakuya harbored many secrets. 

It was embarrassing enough that he couldn't draw, much less form a resemblance of a circle in one fluid brushstroke.

Nobody needed to know that Byakuya couldn't cook either. The one day when Byakuya had took it upon himself to boil some water for tea, he had nearly burnt the kitchen down.

Needless to say, based on this experience, Byakuya didn't particularly want to do anything remotely close to the stove ever again.

There were so many more, such as how Byakuya didn't really accidentally fall in the mud that one day when training with Senbonzakura; rather, Senbonzakura had gone into a rage upon finding Byakuya asleep while she had been lecturing him on how to properly use bankai and in a heave of strength, had toppled Byakuya off the bench and into the freshly-made mud on the ground from the rain earlier.

Decades later, Senbonzakura still liked to tease Byakuya about it.

But, there was one secret above all that was supremely humiliating to the great Kuchiki head, one that Byakuya vowed to never let anybody know, not even Senbonzakura:

He had a weak spot for young, fluffy animals.

Namely, kittens.

* * *

Byakuya mentally groaned when Rukia stepped into the house that night, around ten weeks after their wedding, her arms wrapped around a piteously shivering white furball with black splotches. 

"What were you doing out there in the cold, all by yourself?" Rukia crooned to the little animal after it had proceeded to lap up half a bowl of warm milk, procured by Byakuya himself, who now stood silently observing the exchange between the kitten and his wife.

The kitten mewled in response, clambering it's own way up, small claws scrabbling for purchase on Rukia's yukata.

Rukia laughed, gently easing the kitten off and cradling it in her arms, nuzzling the soft white fur on the kitten's head.

Something—no, it wasn't pain, but it still felt heavy, something Byakuya couldn't identify – stabbed through Byakuya at that moment, as he witnessed the simple gesture of affection.

_Jealousy?_

_No, it couldn't be_.

Sniffing haughtily, Byakuya turned on his heel and walked off down the hallway, but not before having the kitten's inquisitive, bright blue eyes burned into his mind.

His wife could consort with a kitten for all Byakuya cared. No harm done…right?

Byakuya was troubled when he couldn't find an answer for that one.

* * *

Byakuya had put up a fairly good argument against letting the midget stay in the Kuchiki house (no mongrel like that had set foot on the polished marble floors of the house in _centuries_), Rukia had been equally stubborn, and eventually, Byakuya grew weary and in a huff, grudgingly allowed the kitten to stay. 

This delighted Rukia to no end, and Byakuya told himself that he only let the kitten stay because it made Rukia happy, not because he actually found the wretched thing _cute_.

* * *

Days stretched into weeks, and the kitten stuck to Rukia like a magnet, only being able to be pried apart by force. 

Rukia had departed to the veterinarian's on one of her off days, and come back, her eyes glowing, and informed Byakuya that the kitten was a male, and that she had christened it Nikkou.

_Sunlight?_ _How charming, a little ray of sunshine…_ Byakuya thought upon hearing the new name, and snorted.

The little kitten was far from anything but a ray of sunshine in Byakuya's life. When Byakuya was home, Nikkou's meows could be heard from anywhere within the house, and it was particularly irritating when there was paperwork to be filled out and completed. Not to mention, the furball cozied up to Rukia even in sleep, slipping into their room and threading it's way between them at night.

Byakuya felt that it was fair that he should be annoyed upon awakening that first morning after Nikkou had decided to sleep with them, with a face full of white and black fur.

Rukia found it extremely amusing, her eyes sparkling with mirth as Byakuya dragged himself into the bathroom to try and get the fur off.

The next night, Byakuya firmly put his foot down and closed the door, not allowing the nuisance of a kitten to enter. However, wailing mewls and scratching on the door in the middle of the night led Rukia to scoop up Nikkou amid weak protests from Byakuya and cuddle the now-purring kitten to her chest as she fell asleep again.

As Byakuya tentatively settled back down to sleep again, he narrowed his eyes at the kitten and wondered if death for the kitten by Senbonzakura's shikai would be too cruel.

Musing and still glaring at the kitten, he could have sworn the kitten smiled back.

Imagine that, Kuchiki Byakuya being upstaged by a kitten.

* * *

Finally, one day, at his wits' end, Byakuya knocked on Yoruichi's door and sipping tea, told her about Nikkou and the lack of time spent with his wife. They rarely ever played piano together now, not without the risk of Nikkou pouncing upon the instrument (Byakuya swore the long scratch mark down one leg of the grand piano hadn't been there before Nikkou). 

Yoruichi took in Byakuya's situation with a raised eyebrow, before Byakuya ran out of breath and set his cup down, looking at the Shihouin expectantly.

She blinked once, twice, before her laughter roared through the small sitting room.

"It's obvious, Byakushi," Yoruichi said, ignoring Byakuya's look of revulsion at his old childhood nickname.

"You're _jealous_."

And with that, she cracked up again, while Byakuya sat there and pursed his lips, looking very put out.

"I am _not_."

"Oh, stop pouting, it was never a very becoming expression on you."

"I am _not_ jealous!"

Yoruichi stopped laughing to stare Byakuya gravely in the eye. "I'm sorry, but you are. Jealous, that is. Of a _kitten_."

Byakuya set down his cup of tea and saw himself out. It was obvious that Yoruichi wasn't going to be of much help in the situation.

Then again, Yoruichi _was_ rather biased towards cats in the first place.

* * *

It was a rainy spring day, and Byakuya had just arrived home from the Gotei 13, shuffling a new stack of papers on his desk. 

_Unusual…Rukia's not home yet._

Gliding downstairs, he learned from a servant that Rukia had left about an hour ago for Kiyone's house, and she should be back soon.

Nikkou wove between Byakuya's legs, butting Byakuya until he opened the door. The kitten dashed off into the rain, until all that remained of him was a faintly blurry white mass.

"Good riddance," Byakuya huffed, making to close the door, before the servant stopped him.

"Gomen, but isn't that Kuchiki-san?"

Turning around, Byakuya saw Rukia coming up the path, drenched, with an equally wet Nikkou proudly leading the way to the door.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Byakuya muttered sarcastically as Nikkou dug small claws into his shihakusho.

Rukia gave a rather dirty glare in Byakuya's general direction before announcing, "I'm taking a bath. Here, take Nikkou."

Byakuya blinked, bewildered, before he realized that Rukia was holding the still sopping-wet kitten out to _him_.

"Yes, you," Rukia snapped, thrusting Nikkou into his unwilling arms, before stomping up the stairs.

_How extraordinarily like Hisana,_ Byakuya thought dryly, as Rukia swept past him. _Warmth and a bath comes first before everything else._

Nikkou mewled mournfully in Byakuya's arms, watching Rukia's retreating form disappear around a hallway upstairs.

The great Kuchiki-taichou stared down at Nikkou, flabbergasted. What was he supposed to do _now_?

* * *

At last, Byakuya managed to convey the idea across to two bright blue eyes that it was _bad_ to climb onto the big desk, no matter how many things there were to play with on it. And it was _very, very _bad to knock over a big tower of flat things that floated to the ground. 

Byakuya cursed under his breath as he continued to gather up the paperwork Nikkou had knocked over. Rukia got to take a nice, warm bath, while he got stuck with the furry nuisance that he hadn't even wanted in the house in the first place.

He gave a pointed glare at Nikkou, sitting innocently on an armchair well away from Byakuya's large desk.

Nikkou blinked, and meowed.

* * *

Once Byakuya had finally straightened up his desk after Nikkou wreaked chaos on it, uprighting the last two pictures that were allowed placement on his desk. 

Something soft brushed his leg, and Byakuya saw Nikkou scrambling back onto the desk surface.

"No—"

But Nikkou stopped short, curiously staring at a picture, his tail waving in the air.

Byakuya peered around the kitten to see that he was transfixed with Hisana's small portrait.

"No, that's not Rukia," Byakuya started, before he wondered why he was talking to a kitten, of all things to talk to. Delusional, he was becoming.

Nikkou launched himself at Byakuya, neatly landing in his lap with a soft _thump_.

Delusional he may be, but it was rather comforting talking to the small, pathetic nuisance who mewled, as if prodding Byakuya to go on.

"That…was Hisana, Rukia's sister. My first wife," Byakuya added on, feeling stupid and wondering what would happen if Renji heard of this. The laughingstock of Seireitei, Kuchiki Byakuya!

"But…that's me, and Rukia." Byakuya gently caressed a photograph that had been taken shortly after their wedding. Byakuya and Rukia dressed in the Kuchiki finest, both with frozen, inanimate expressions on their face. Byakuya standing, slightly behind Rukia, who was demurely sitting in a chair, her hands neatly folded on her lap.

It was odd, seeing Rukia like this, since her face was now usually so full of life and expression, whether it was laughter, indignation, or surprise.

Nikkou loudly meowed again, prodding Byakuya.

"Yes, yes," Byakuya murmured absently, still lost in thought, and scratching Nikkou behind the ears.

Nikkou started to purr, and snuggled into the warm haven of Byakuya's lap.

Momentarily, Byakuya forgot that this was the very same irritating furball he had sworn to slice to bits with Senbonzakura just weeks earlier.

The kitten's purr was intoxicating, and Byakuya felt his eyelids start to droop and the world start to slightly blur at the edges.

Imagine that, Kuchiki Byakuya falling asleep in such an ungainly manner.

…With a kitten on his lap.

* * *

Rukia, securely wrapped up in a kimono, her hair still wet from her bath yet now feeling refreshed and warm, padded down the hallway to where she saw a light coming from Byakuya's office. 

Curious as to why Byakuya wasn't waiting for Rukia at the dinner table, she peeked in the study, and promptly had to stifle a laugh.

The great and mighty Kuchiki taichou was asleep at his desk, soft, deep breaths filling the room from Nikkou and Byakuya.

"I win," Rukia smugly murmured to herself. "Poor Kiyone."

_...One month ago…_

"_No way, Kuchiki-taichou would never love a kitten!" Kiyone exclaimed as Rukia nonchalantly popped a rice ball into her mouth._

"_Kiyone, have you ever seen the way Byakuya looks at a kitten, or a puppy?"_

_Kiyone blinked and paused. "No," she admitted._

_Rukia sat back. "Exactly."_

"_I don't believe it," Kiyone plowed on, still as stubborn as ever._

"_Do you want to make it a bet?"_

"_You're on!"_

"_If I win," Rukia tapped her chin in thought, "then you have to kiss Sentaro."_

_Kiyone promptly spluttered and choked on her tea._

"_But, if I lose, then…"_

_Kiyone, apparently having recovered, said, "Then you have to steal Renji's secret stash of cookies."_

_Rukia pondered the odds of achieving that, before nodding gravely and shaking hands with Kiyone._

"_It's a bet."_

Rukia laughed softly to herself in the hallway, her head still craned around the doorframe of Byakuya's study.

"It's good for him, anyways," she said, louder than she intended to.

Nikkou perked an ear up and opened an eye.

Seeing Rukia in the doorway, he meowed and dug his claws into Byakuya, preparing to launch himself to Rukia.

Byakuya stirred, and Rukia, afraid of being caught, quickly ducked and flattened herself against the wall.

"Ow, you stupid cat…You have _sharp_ claws..." Byakuya's voice, still deep and husky from his quick doze, floated out of his office.

Nikkou pranced out into the hallway and Rukia scooped him up, if only to silence the kitten and not to alert Byakuya of her presence.

Rukia quietly walked down the hallway, Nikkou deciding to fall asleep again in her arms, and the soft glow of the hall lamps lighting her way. "Maybe...maybe if he can learn to love someone--something like you, maybe he can learn to love me too," Rukia whispered to Nikkou, petting the soft tufts of white fur on his head.

"No, no...that won't happen." Her voice died as she rounded the corner, bustling down to the kitchen.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the exact object of her words had stood behind her in the hall in shock, her words obviously having reached his ears.

Byakuya leaned against the doorframe, pondering this new twist of events.

_Ah, Rukia...I'm going to have to prove you wrong._

_-fin_-

* * *

A/N: Me, a genius...Nikkou. snorts Anyways, I hope everybody enjoyed this. Reviews are good, if that says anything ;) 


	5. In which awkward situations abound

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Table: **Four

**Prompt:** 9 - Bath

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belong to Kubo Tite.

**A/N:** Part Five...I kinda didn't like this as much, but i FINALLY updated :D Enjoy, guys, and tell me what you think.

* * *

_Somewhere in Karakura Town, Japan…_

"What about Rukia and Byakuya?"

"Oh yes, I want Kuchiki-san to be a bridesmaid!"

"Okay, so that's settled, then…"

"And what about Ishida and Nemu?"

* * *

_Somewhere in Seireitei, Soul Society…_

Rukia was taking a bath.

It wasn't that big of a deal, right? She was dirty and splattered in mud from training with Sode no Shirayuki, so after she scrubbed all of the grime off, she refilled the tub with bath salts and all manner of bubbles that smelled _heavenly_, and simply lolled about in the water for quite a while.

She hadn't bothered to lock the door, because generally, people _knocked_ if the bathroom door was closed. Plus, she knew that Byakuya wasn't home, so it was probably fine.

At least, she thought that he wasn't home. He had left at some ungodly hour before dawn, the last Rukia seeing of him was his face murmuring something that in her sleepy haze, she couldn't make out, and the soft brush of his lips on her forehead.

She had fallen asleep soon after that, dreaming of Byakuya leaving in a whirlwind of sakura.

The only thing she clearly remembered was that it had soon gotten cold, because Byakuya's embrace warmed her body more than any blanket could.

* * *

Byakuya wasn't at breakfast, either. So after Rukia drank the last of her tea, she donned her shihakusho and picked up Sode no Shirayuki, and went out in search of a nice, desolate hill in which she could train in peace.

Apparently, it had rained the night before, and after a few steps, the hem of her shihakusho and her socks were soaked.

Frowning, Rukia unsheathed Sode no Shirayuki. She despised rain, since rain created mud, but she really did need to hone her shikai.

Well, if she got dirty, she could always take a bath…

Back in the bathroom, Rukia scooped up a heap of bubbles in her hands and idly wondered where Byakuya had gone.

* * *

Byakuya had completely forgotten to tell Rukia about the captains' meeting Yamamoto-genryuusai had scheduled at dawn that morning.

The meetings were quite pointless in general, but Byakuya was forced to attend as on his "captain duties", which all captains of the Gotei 13 were expected to complete at all costs.

Even if it meant leaving a warm bed and one's wife just before the crack of dawn.

The meeting today had dragged on for almost four hours, and consisted of the usual, even though the captains for the 3rd, 5th, and 9th divisions were still empty: Yamamoto-genryuusai droning on for an inexplicably long amount of time, Hitsugaya and Zaraki getting into _another_ argument, Kyouraku accusing Ukitake of looking the wrong way at his "Nanao-chan" (thus, inevitably, leading to _more_ shouting), Mayuri cackling and talking about his newest experiment to anyone who bothered to listen, Konamura settling his bulk against the wall and starting to snore loudly, and Byakuya standing there, his customary scowl affixed on his face, and silently pleading if he could just _go_ already.

When Yamamoto-genryuusai finally declared the meeting dismissed, Byakuya wasted no time in shunpo-ing to his office: the call of the paperwork still beckoned.

Then, Renji had decided to appear fifteen minutes later, and after Byakuya endured half an hour of Renji's taunts and gloating about how _he_ didn't have a meeting at dawn and _he_ had gotten his precious beauty sleep, Byakuya finally cracked and ordered Renji to finish all of the paperwork or else Renji would never see his secret stash of cookies again.

Renji shut up, whimpered, and started doing the paperwork.

* * *

As Byakuya approached the Kuchiki estate, the first thing he noticed was a butterfly flitting frantically outside of the gates, carrying an envelope.

Curiosity piqued, he allowed the butterfly to settle on his finger, and as he took the envelope, he saw Urahara's distinct scrawl.

A message from the living world? 

_To Kuchiki Rukia and Kuchiki Byakuya – _

_You are formally invited to attend the wedding of Inoue Orihime and Kurosaki Ichigo in Karakura Town on Saturday, August 12__th_

_Additionally, Rukia is invited to be a bridesmaid as well. Urahara will take care of the gigais. Please send back your reply via the butterfly._

Byakuya blinked once, twice, and then reread the message as he entered the house and started upstairs.

The annoying kid, Ichigo, was finally getting married? He felt sorry for the girl the orange-haired shinigami was marrying. What was her name—Byakuya consulted the invitation again—Inoue Orihime?

He sat down on the bed, wondering where Rukia was and racking his mind trying to figure out if he knew an Inoue Orihime.

However, he saw that oddly, that was a light on in the bathroom. Rukia usually turned off the lights when she exited the bathroom; it had become a habit for both of them.

Byakuya stood and opened the bathroom door, instinct rendering his movements silent.

Wait. He _did_ know an Inoue Orihime…that clumsy girl who infiltrated Seireitei with Ichigo nine years back. He hadn't paid much attention to her, just glared at her in the break-something-and-my-bankai-will-slowly-shred-you way he had practiced back then.

_It figures_, Byakuya thought, and almost laughed.

It was a shame that Rukia's earsplitting shriek cut him off.

* * *

Rukia hardly noticed the soft whoosh of wind accompanying the opening of the door.

It was only when a shadow from a quite tall presence that _was not_ supposed to be in the bathroom with her fell across the tiles of the bathroom floor did Rukia look up, straight at her husband.

Her thoughts went somewhat like this:

_I'm naked._

_Byakuya is here in the bathroom with me._

_Did he see me?_

_HOLY SHIT I'M NAKED!_

So, Rukia did the one logical thing, although in retrospect, it would have been better if she hadn't.

If she hadn't shrieked so loudly, Byakuya probably wouldn't have noticed her.

* * *

Byakuya turned and saw the pale expanse of skin across her neck and shoulders, the slight dip of her collarbone, and a slim arm frozen halfway out of the water.

Suddenly Rukia plunged underwater, only her head emerging out of the mass of bubbles a few moments later, her cheeks flushed a becoming pink.

Byakuya felt the flare of possessiveness inside him; he wanted to mark Rukia's skin and scream to the world that Rukia was his, all his and nobody else's.

When he spoke, though, he kept his voice at the even, deadpan tone he had mastered half a century ago.

"Did you use all of the bubble bath soap _again_?"

Rukia merely glowered at him. "Don't you know how to _knock_?"

"You didn't lock the door," Byakuya helpfully pointed out. Rukia opened her mouth to deliver some angry retort, but Byakuya continued. "We've been invited to a wedding, and you're going to be a bridesmaid."

Rukia sighed irritably. "Who, when, and where?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo and Inoue Orihime, August 7, and Karakura Town." He fixed Rukia with his famous Kuchiki stare. "Do we have to go?"

"Ichigo and Orhime attended our wedding. I'm sure that somewhere in one of the three dozen Kuchiki etiquette books, it's considered good manners to go to one's wedding if they attend yours," she replied dryly.

Byakuya muttered something and then sighed in defeat.

"Now," Rukia said, her voice bordering on snappish. "Can I finish my bath now?"

* * *

It was only after Rukia had heard the secure click of the door after Byakuya did she stand up and step out of the tub, watching the last of the bubbles spiral down the drain.

Rukia supposed herself lucky that Byakuya hadn't walked in on her while she was getting out of the tub, or else she wouldn't have had any bubbles to hide under.

* * *

Rukia gave a start of surprise when she walked out of the bathroom, hair tousled and still rather wet, clad only in a fluffy white towel, to see Byakuya lounging on the bed in nothing but his customary black silk pajamas [see chapter 1.

His kenseikan were scattered in a heap on the table next to the wedding invitation from Ichigo and Orihime, and his hair, usually so perfect, was rumpled and awkwardly arranged around his head.

Rukia didn't know what compelled her, but after checking to make sure her towel was secured, she gingerly climbed onto the bed and curled around Byakuya's side, resting her head just below his collarbone.

She felt the familiar sense of warmth and protection that could only come from _Byakuya_, as he mumbled and turned, pressing his body against hers and pulling her in closer with his arms.

The silk of his pajama bottoms rustled against her legs, and she was acutely aware of how easy it would be to rip off her towel and pull off his pants—

Byakuya's hand had started to stroke the skin of her arm, dipping down her clavicle and against her neck. Looking at him in surprise, she saw this his eyes were still closed.

"Rukia…put some clothes on."

She giggled, and ran a hand down his defined chest. "Look at who's talking," she shot back playfully. "Plus, mine are all muddy and I'm waiting for them to get out of the wash."

He didn't say anything in return, so Rukia cuddled in closer to the heat emanating from his body, a smile still lingering on her face.

She had spent so many years with Kuchiki Byakuya, but she still couldn't understand how sometimes he could be bitterly cold, and at other times, so unusually warm.

* * *

Byakuya didn't know if Rukia was teasing him or if she was really stupid enough to run her nails down his chest by accident, but it had felt _good_.

He didn't say anything in the pause that followed Rukia's words in fear that he might give something away.

Some time later, he felt Rukia burrowing in closer to him.

He opened his eyes just in time to see Rukia's smile slip away, instead replaced by lines of confusion and worry.

_I'm trying, Rukia…I'm trying._

-_to be continued...-_

A/N: so, what did you think [yay Ichigo and Orihime are getting married

**POLL TIME:** Honestly, what do you think about Byakuya/Rukia lime/lemon?

A) I'M ALL FOR IT! GOOO FOR IT!

B) A little lime is okay, but maybe not lemon.

C) The story's already AU, so any is fine.

D) NO WAY. STICK TO CANON.

Your comments and opinions are appreciated.


	6. Reflections and contrast

**100situations Prompt 3 - Dance**

**Title:** Always There Chapter 6 (Part VI)

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Table: **Four

**Prompt:** #3 - Dance

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belongs to Kubo Tite, not me.

**A/N:** adlfkalsghadkfj OOC-ness.

* * *

The only reasons that Byakuya stubbornly refused to go to the living world was the troublesome gigai that he was forced to wear (he only went if the situation specifically demanded his presence).

He detested gigais. They were stuffy and felt as if he had been folded five times over and put into a tiny box. And the limit they put on his reiatsu! Kuchiki Byakuya was _not_ used to having approximately 1/15 of the reiatsu he usually had (it made him less intimidating).

This was why Byakuya grumbled and muttered all through the process of donning the gigai upon arrival at Urahara's shop in Karakura town for the wedding of that annoying orange-haired ryoka, Ichigo.

Rukia, on the other hand, was in an extremely good mood that she practically glowed, even in her gigai.

Speaking of...

"Lighten up, Byakuya," Rukia said, fixing him with her smile as they walked the short distance from Urahara's shop to where the wedding was being held.

"You're too bright," Byakuya muttered, a deadpan expression on the the artificial face of his gigai.

The gigai was almost suffocating him, and it made him short and curt with his words, although he instantly regretted it when he saw the smile on Rukia's face slightly falter.

He continued to glower at Rukia, though. "Why are you so happy anyways?"

She lit up again, and grinned. "A wedding is all about happiness and joy," she explained. "So don't look so sullen. Remember our wedding?"

"If I remember correctly, you didn't seem too happy on our wedding day," Byakuya drawled, pinning Rukia with a cool stare.

Rukia flushed and quickly looked away, choosing instead to say, "Come on, the wedding's just a little bit more ahead."

Byakuya chuckled and grasped Rukia's hand. "Then may I escort you, Lady Kuchiki?"

Rukia looked crossly at him, the mockery and sarcasm of Byakuya's words mimicked in her voice, her earlier embarrassment apparently forgotten.

"Of course, _Lord_ Kuchiki."

* * *

At last, Byakuya was seated and boredly waiting for the wedding to start. He was attempting to mentally analyze all of the paperwork that needed to be completed and was currently sitting on his desk in Seireitei, but his mind kept on drifting, from Rukia's worry that Nikkou wouldn't get the care and love he needed during their two-day absence (Byakuya had scoffed at this, telling Rukia that that cat could find enough love to sustain him for weeks in a stalk of grass) to Ichigo, who was _still_ pacing in front of the altar, and it was getting on his nerves.

Finally, the Quincy who was his best man (what was his name -- Ishida) snapped and yelled something at the groom, who yelled something back in return, and a shouting match ensued.

Byakuya sighed in exasperation. Children these days.

Rukia had disappeared from his side after they had exchanged cordial greetings and congratulations to an obviously stressed and distracted Ichigo. Presumably, she had gone to find the bride -- she was a bridesmaid, after all.

Yoruichi strolled in at the last moment and plopped herself down next to Byakuya. He shot her his habitual withering glare, even though he knew it would have no effect on her.

As always, he was right.

"Cheer up, Byakushi. It's a wedding!"

"Why is everybody so happy today?" Byakuya mumbled, dejectedly leaning back in his seat.

He was saved from having to hear Yoruichi's answer by the sound of music and the appearance of the bride: Inoue Orihime, flanked by her bridesmaids.

Byakuya grudgingly admitted that the bride looked decently pretty in the cascading waves of he white silk kimono, but it was Rukia who riveted Byakuya. Her gigai was swathed in a creamy peach silk kimono, like the rest of the bridesmaids. However, Rukia's hair and sparkling violet eyes perfectly contrasted with the kimono and the opaque, pearl color of the obi.

Catching his eye, she beamed at him, and he almost smiled back, before he remembered that he was supposed to be sulking. He supposed it was a bad thing that Rukia's joy was getting to him, bubbling up from her body like champagne.

All of a sudden, Byakuya realized the huge difference between their wedding and this one. Of course, it was probably different being a bride and a bridesmaid...

* * *

_At the Kuchiki wedding, 2007_

Byakuya fidgeted slightly at the altar, subtly tugging at the hem of his kimono's sleeve-- he hated wearing the formal Kuchiki kimono, but he had to or else the elders would start to spout more "Kuchiki tradition" and "ancestry respect" spew, and from experience, Byakuya knew it would take _hours_ to shut them up.

His eyes warily scanned the crowd assembled for the "greatest wedding of the year". Ukitake-taichou was smiling proudly at him, and Yoruichi was smirking smugly. The orange haired shinigami brat that Rukia insisted they invite was having a glaring contest with Renji, Byakuya's best man.

It was all the norm.

Although his outer expression was one of cool detachment, Byakuya felt as if he was twisted up in knots inside - he was _that_ nervous. He suddenly wondered if ti was too late to just call the wedding off, and to hell with all of that "good for the clan" crap the elders were insisting on--

The doors banged open and the crowd turned as one to stare at Rukia, who, although rather disheveled and looking almost as if somebody had shoved her into the doorway (it was only later when Byakuya noticed that Yoruichi's seat was empty), stood tall and regal.

The sunlight from the windows gently shone on her face and it was as if Rukia illuminated the whole chapel. Her kimono was a lush ivory color, and the folds of the silk swished with each step she took.

She looked strong and confident, but Byakuya could tell she was nervous by the minor observances he made: how she slightly bit her lip, the small, hesitant steps she took, and the almost deathly grip she had on her bouquet of calla lilies.

Byakuya forced himself to relax, and locked his eyes with Rukia's. Her eyes searched his before her tense body relaxed and a small smile crept onto her face.

* * *

_Back in Karakura Town..._

"Do you, Kurosaki Ichigo, take Inoue Orihime as your wife?"

* * *

_Kuchiki wedding, 2007_

Byakuya had spaced out for most of the minister's droning about unity and converging paths. It was only when the old man fixed wise black eyes on Byakuya did he look up.

Apparently he had missed the question, but he had a pretty good idea of what it had been.

"I do." his voice was strong and commanding, not wavering for even a fraction of a second.

A few moments later, Rukia's voice rang in the air, softer and more demure, but equally as firm as his had been. "I do."

The minister nodded. "I now pronounce you man and wife - Lord and Lady Kuchiki."

The crowd broke into thunderous applause as Byakuya and Rukia faced them as one and bowed.

* * *

_Back in Karakura town..._

The wedding had ended some time ago, and now the newlyweds were talking with members of the audience, both of them sporting equally goofy smiles (Byakuya thought that it made the orange haired brat look stupider than he already was).

He leaned against a side table, quietly sipping a glass of sake, watching a radiant Rukia mingle with the crowd before making he way over to him.

"That was a perfect wedding," she remarked upon reaching his side.

Byakuya nodded his head in silent agreement. "You were beautiful."

Rukia laughed. "Don't flatter me."

He looked at her peculiarly. When was the last time she had been so...carefree?

The "no, really," that had been sitting on his lips died as the band struck up a song. After much urging from the crowd, Ichigo grabbed his bride's hand and they started to dance, followed by several other couples.

Byakuya set down his glass and formally bowed to Rukia, offering his hand. "Would you like to dance?"

She placed her small hand in his. "It would be my pleasure to."

He snaked his arm around her slender waist, while she rested her other hand on his shoulder, and he whisked her onto the dance floor.

They swayed in perfect time to the beat, flawlessly stepping together. Every curve of her body seemed to fit into his as he spun her into him, holding her close to him for a beat longer than he had intended to.

"You've improved," he murmured.

* * *

_At the Kuchiki wedding_

He had compared her to a marionnette.

He was attempting to lead her into a dance, but she had tensed up and was so stiff that it didn't seem like they were dancing: just making random jerking movements.

"You're a horrible dancer," he stated, exasperated.

* * *

_Back in Karakura Town, Japan_

Byakuya guided Rukia to a secluded corner of the reception area, still tightly holding her in his arms.

"Byakuya...?"

"Shh..." he whispered, before finally, after weeks of indecision, he leaned down and kissed her.

Technically, it wasn't their first kiss, since they had lightly kissed on the lips at their wedding. But Byakuya had been terrified, and judging from Rukia's reaction, so had she. In Byakuya's book, a forced kiss was not truly defined as a "kiss", if that made any sense whatsoever.

But now, this kiss was gentle and slow, Rukia's lips soft against his own.

She made a sound, half between a whimper and a moan, and slightly arched into his body, pressing herself even more against him.

He noticed that she had tasted sweet, as if she had just been eating candy.

At last, he pulled back, trying to read her face.

His voice was soft and almost caressing as he spoke. "Rukia...what do you want me to prove to you?"

She fixed his eyes with hers, her tone defiant. "Prove to me that you're capable of love."

Then, she sagged, tearing her eyes away and staring at the floor. Her next words were so inaudible that Byakuya only hoped he heard them right.

"Prove to me that you love me."

-_to be continued-_

* * *

**A/N:** OMG. OOC-ness abounds! Anyways, I have no idea what a Japanese wedding would be like, so I just took everybody and stuck them in kimonos XD If anybody can tell me what a real Japanese wedding would consist of, my thanks to you! And to all those that voted last time in my little poll - your opinions were appreciated, and the lemon came out as the winner, except I don't think that it would fit into the storyline right now. Maybe later, ne? Well, you got Byakuya's and Rukia's first kiss, muahahaha. I also wanted to show Byakushi's thoughts on his own wedding...I know I never told you guys what it went like ;)

You know you want to review! The purple button is too tempting!


	7. Don't wake me up

**100situations Prompt 47 - Dream**

**Title:** Always There Chapter 7 (Part VII)

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Table: **Four

**Prompt:** #47 - Dream

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belongs to Kubo Tite, not me.

**A/N:** Thanks to ALL of my reviewers, who've stuck with me for FOREVER and I just love you all so so so much. :D You make me happy by reviewing the pathetic oneshot that somehow expanded into this multichapter fic. OOC-ness ahead, and some fluff..and you'll see.

* * *

The insomnia had started five days after they had returned to Seireitei from the wedding in Karakura Town of that ryoka. 

Five days, since Rukia had uttered the words that made Byakuya wonder what he was doing wrong.

Five days of sleepless nights, of restless thinking, of confusion, and faintly, of worry as he noticed that Rukia barely spoke to him, and he thought that she might even be intentionally avoiding him.

At night though, she made no move against him when he curled up next to her and pulled her against his body, as they always did. Yet Byakuya could tell, in the small dark recesses of his mind that she was suffering from lack of sleep too, by the unnatural rigidity of her body against his and the dark bags under her eyes the next morning.

Byakuya usually floated off into a fitful sleep after about an hour and a half of silence, marked only by the breathing of him and Rukia.

_Then, she sagged, tearing her eyes away and staring at the floor. Her next words were so inaudible that Byakuya only hoped he heard them right._

"_Prove to me that you love me."_

* * *

Rukia had never been particularly fond of cursing and swearing and using vulgar words in general (Renji and Ichigo seemed to have no problem with it, and neither did Kaien-dono, who was a _noble_ like Byakuya) but currently as she stared unblinkingly at the dark, shadowy wall, she was cursing herself and her mouth a thousand times over using the most profane words she had learnt from Renji when they were both young and stupid. 

She was amazed she still remembered said profane words, so she supposed that counted for something.

How could she have been such a _baka_? Prove to me that you love me? An icy, cold emperor, domineering and flawless, could learn to love?

A small voice spoke up in the haze of Rukia's mind, pointing out that was why she wanted to be proven that Byakuya could love, and in turn love her. Because she had the almost stereotypical image of Byakuya that he projected into the minds of all those who met him, and that first image had been burned into Rukia's mind ever since the first day he had introduced himself to her: the fearsome, prominent shinigami with the aristocratic features speaking to some lowly street trash like her.

And now…she was his wife. After a whirlwind of events, she was his wife, yet he didn't love her, even though she loved him, and it was all so confusing because she didn't even know _why_ she loved him.

Maybe this was why Rukia was still gazing at the wall, her mind tangled in the snarls of insomnia, until at last, she forced herself to close her eyes and do nothing but wait for sleep to come.

* * *

Rukia blinked open fuzzy, drowsy-from-sleep eyes to see that the room was still dark, so she assumed it was sometime in the middle of the night. Mumbling, she tossed over, flinging an arm to the side, expecting to encounter the warm body that was Byakuya but instead finding…

Nothing.

"Must be in the bathroom," she mumbled absently, choosing instead to snuggle deeper into the pillow and wait for his return so she could have an additional, bigger pillow.

This would be the part where Rukia conveniently forgot that she was supposed to be mortified and avoiding him (because of her mortification, of course) because using Byakuya as a pillow had somehow become habit for her, and in her sleep-hazy mind, returning to the comfortable lull of sleep after not having achieved it for so long rendered her ignorant of anything else.

Including the fact that she was supposed to be avoiding Byakuya, as stated above.

Rukia smiled gently with her eyes still closed, wondering what effect the words "I like using Kuchiki-taichou as a big warm pillow" would have on her husband.

The words "her husband" jolted something inside of Rukia and she cracked open an eye again, seeing a dark shadow creep across the room as footsteps steadily grew more audible.

A weight resettled on the side of the bed, and familiar arms wrapped her up again in an embrace.

Rukia smiled, breathing in the lulling scent of Byakuya, something faintly between musky and earthy yet still sweet at the same time.

Lips whispered against the edge of her ear, and warm breath filled the cavern. She shuddered, instinctively, as a hot tongue flicked out and traced the shell of her ear.

Tingles of pleasure shot through her body as Rukia's eyes widened and she stared up at Byakuya.

"What…what are you doing?" her voice came out breathier than she had expected it to, and almost by default, she blushed.

His actions were slow and almost deliberate as he drew them out to make the suspense in Rukia build to a breaking point.

He gently retracted his arms from around Rukia's small body, and sitting up again, pinned Rukia down to the bed with his arms, his hips straddling hers, his face barely centimeters away from hers.

Rukia suddenly grew hypersensitive to every movement, and she could feel the silk that Byakuya was wearing brush against her thigh and the gentle sweep of his hair across her cheek.

His voice was suddenly sultry and deep, rumbling in his throat and almost a purr. "What _am_ I doing?"

The only thing Rukia could somewhat rationally conclude at that moment was that Byakuya was _playing_ with her - why?

It seemed like she was asking a lot of "why"s lately, yet she never got any answers.

Byakuya nipped at her neck, her nose, her ears, and Rukia felt little stars and sparks explode before her eyes and she reveled in this feeling of being ravished, and of...being loved.

_Of being loved_...

Rukia trembled as Byakuya lowered his head once more, murmuring "Is this enough proof that I love you?"

He covered her mouth with his, his teeth sensuously nipping at her lip, running the tip of his tongue against her mouth, seeking entrance. She gasped, slightly, but that was all he needed to ruthlessly plunge into her mouth, his tongue entwining with hers. She moaned in the back of her throat, arching her body into his, trying to fight the restraints his strong arms had on hers.

"Shhh," Byakuya whispered after he had drawn back, running long, elegant fingers down her cheek, tracing her chin, then down her neck and against the side of her thin yukata.

Rukia flushed as she suddenly longed for those very long fingers to be running down bare skin, glistening with sweat, his mouth, hot against hers, wanting and needing...

But for now, she settled for languorous kisses that were deep, almost sweet and romantic, had she not been half-paralyzed on the bed, her mind racing and unsure of what to do.

Her pulse pounded in her ears, and on impulse, she flipped Byakuya over so now she was staring into his eyes as she straddled _his_ hips, a crooked grin on her face. She felt her blood racing and boiling, the extremely close proximity to his chiseled chest that she could ravish over and over all night long, and the glimmer in her violet eyes as she evenly met the slightly surprised gaze in his eyes.

She felt headstrong, independent, the Rukia she had once been. The Rukia that would not be weighed down by someone like Kuchiki Byakuya, that's for sure.

"It's not enough," she said, trying to mimic the husky, deep purr of Byakuya's voice (and failing, if that much wasn't obvious already). "Show me more."

A somewhat predatory smile spread on his face as he cocked his head to the side, still not taking his eyes off of hers, nor making any move to reclaim his position as the dominator.

"Bring it on."

And then he yanked Rukia's head down, ignoring her little noise of indignation and surprise, and thoroughly plundered her mouth as she ungracefully fell down on top of him. His warm hands, large and calloused from training with Senbonzakura cradled her face as carefully as if she were one of the porcelain dolls that Rukia had enviously glanced at so many years and decades ago.

She did nothing of that sort, her small hands fisting in his hair and pressing him closer, feeling the urgent need to simply be close to him and want him, need him -- It was a flurry of thoughts all barraging her at once, and she ignored all of them, just concentrating on one thing: him.

"Byakuya..." she whimpered, as he broke away to lick his way down her neck, past her pulse point, and almost down to her chest. He looked up with heavily-lidded eyes, meeting her glassy stare.

"Suki dayo, Rukia."

_I love you, Rukia_.

His damningly soft lips fluttered and pressed against her forehead as he still murmured sweet nothings and Rukia basked in the glow. She never wanted this to end, never ever, this beautiful thrill ride that she only had one ticket to and she just wanted to ride it fifty million times over.

She writhed under his ministrations, attempting to form coherent words, trying to convey her thoughts to him, but failing as her mind blanked out and refused to function.

But she knew the exact words she was going to say. She had known them for the longest time, practiced them in her mind, silently whispered them as she sat across from Byakuya at the dinner table so many times.

_Suki dayo, Byakuya._

_I love you, Byakuya. I don't understand why I love you, but I love you far beyond what anyone can comprehend, and far beyond anything in this world._

* * *

Rukia was jolted awake (again) by the sudden pouring of light into the bedroom and as she squinted in the brightness, she made out the form of Byakuya pulling open the curtains. 

Damn him. Rukia didn't understand how Byakuya was such a cheerful morning person (as cheerful as a Kuchiki could get) and got up at the fucking _crack of dawn_ to read over _paperwork_ and god knows what else he did.

Rukia preferred to laze in bed and sleep until noon, thanks.

She groaned, and promptly burrowed under the covers again, pulling a pillow over her head in an attempt to block out the light.

Byakuya nudged her. "Hurry up if you don't want Kotetsu-san to come here again and make you go to work."

Rukia groaned, again, and reluctantly got up, shuffling to the bathroom, muttering about "stupid Kiyone" and "wanna go back to sleep."

She securely locked the door behind her and slumped against it, meeting her reflection in the mirror.

She blinked, and the image in the mirror blinked, all pale skin marked by hollow eyes that had dulled over the days and hair that hung limply around her face.

She sighed, pressing her face against the cold glass, her breath condensing and fogging the mirror. She realized that all of last night, all of what she had thought was last night, was simply a dream.

Nothing more than a dream, nothing but fake hopes and unreality.

_What does it all mean?_

"Fuck this," Rukia growled, and swinging open the door, marched up to Byakuya and roughly grabbing his head, smashed her lips onto his.

Rukia felt a sense of satisfaction as it was Byakuya who made a noise of surprise and whether unknowingly or willingly, opened his mouth and Rukia took it to explore his mouth thoroughly, finding that he tasted sweet and like peppermint from his toothpaste.

At last, she withdrew, her lips swollen and her heart racing erratically. Byakuya raised a slim eyebrow at her, managing to look as serene and as imperceptive as he always was while at the same time looking equally as flushed and disarrayed as Rukia (now that was a first). "Feeling rather dominant today?"

Rukia huffed indignantly. "We're married." _Wonderful excuse, Rukia._

Byakuya smiled mysteriously, but did nothing but run a hand through his hair, smooth his captain's haori, and gently kiss Rukia on the forehead. The sense of déjà vu hit Rukia, slamming into her like the truck that had taken her life as a girl in the mortal world, as she smiled bitterly and softly bade Byakuya good-bye.

The door closed behind the twirl of white haori and she collapsed spread-eagled onto the bed, feeling alone and empty in the large room without Byakuya.

She stared resolutely at the ceiling, her mouth set in a straight line. _If he won't do anything, then I will._

-_fin_-

* * *

**A/N**: Okay. First off, I think I moved too quickly and got a little off the beaten path, but yay there is some ByakuRuki lime. Mmmm. Not too OOC, I hope? Also, sorry for the kinda-quick ending, but I had to end it somewhere or else I'd have gotten to far ahead of myself. The next chapter will be better, I PROMISE. But I've gotten the next four chapters planned out (now I just have to get off my lazy ass and write them), and muahaha, it's going to get interesting…I suppose you can think of these chapters as kind of "filler chapters". Just biding time until I can develop the plot enough for the real action. :D 

I liked the poll idea, so here comes another one!

**Poll:**

What would be the best ByakuRuki scene? (fluffy)

A)Staring at the clouds on a hill and just enjoying the company of each other

B) Cooking together in the kitchen (Byakuya giving Rukia lessons, or vice versa)

C) ByakuRuki at the beach!

D) Byakuya surprising Rukia suggestive cough for her birthday

E) ByakuRuki in the snow; winter fun

Thanks! And don't forget to review. Heheh.


	8. To careen out of control

**100situations Prompt 6 - Careen**

**Title:** Always There Chapter 8 (Part VIII)

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Table: **Four

**Prompt:** #6 - Careen

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belongs to Kubo Tite, not me.

**A/N:** Thanks to ALL of my reviewers. You make me happy :) Dedicated to one reviewer in particular, Person No. 14, who gave me a fantastic compliment and reviewed for all of my chapters (crazy one, there). And Ailey, my half-dead-beta, who is still awesome.

* * *

Days and weeks flew by, stretching into months. Summer melted into fall, bright and resplendent in shades of red, orange and gold.

Rukia felt as if she had been thriving on quick glances when Byakuya wasn't looking, and the occasional chaste kiss in the morning before they parted ways to go to work.

She told herself that she wasn't purposely trying to avoid Byakuya (she wasn't, she wasn't), yet she also couldn't believe that Byakuya was avoiding her (was he?).

All in all, this made of an awkward relationship that consisted of awkward situations (Rukia would never forget when he walked in on her in the bathtub) and was undeniably built on an awkward foundation.

_The leaves crackled and collapsed, even under Rukia's light step, as she made her way to the Sixth Division offices, a stack of paper tucked securely under her arm._

_She knocked once, twice, on the wooden frame of the door to the taichou's office, scanning the area for Renji to say a quick hello but finding her old friend not within in the vicinity._

_"Come in." Byakuya's voice, as composed and patrician as always, floated out from the office and Rukia walked in, her eyes lowered respectfully._

_"Ukitake-taichou sends these," she murmured, placing the papers on Byakuya's cluttered desk (she found that the only thing Byakuya didn't bother to pick up and meticulously organize was his desk)._

_"Hai," he said, almost absently, not once looking up from his writing at Rukia._

_Glancing around the room, telling herself that she was waiting for Byakuya to say something more, she saw the extraordinary view of Seireitei and the whorls of color that were the falling leaves from Byakuya's office's window._

_Rukia's brow furrowed when she saw that Byakuya sat facing away from the gorgeous view the window offered, and hesitantly, she softly inquired, "Do you not enjoy the autumn?"_

_At this, he looked up, subtly tossing his head to move the hair out of his eyes. "Why do you ask this?" Suspicion flared and radiated from his posture._

_"Your window," she said simply. "It's so beautiful that I believe nobody could resist not looking out at the landscape, yet your desk is placed so that your back is to the window."_

_He regarded her for a moment, an eyebrow quirked in interest, before the small smile that had been tugging at his lips faded and his eyes dropped. "I never really liked autumn that much," he replied distantly._

_"The falling leaves are too annoying," he added, almost as if it was a justification to his dislike of autumn, but Rukia saw the defensive walls spring up. "They distract me from my work."_

_Rukia didn't press the subject, merely choosing to incline her head and shuffle out of the room, sliding the door shut and leaving her husband to his own thoughts._

_She didn't know that once her footsteps had disappeared, Byakuya turned to gaze out of the window, and smiled sadly._

* * *

The next time she stepped into the taichou's office of the Sixth Division, it was the beginning of winter, and only now was Rukia grateful for her thick shinigami shihakusho that protected her from the bitterly cold winds that accompanied the dull, bleak skies of winter.

She remembered how her sandals slapped against the wooden floors of the building, and how she though about how it was cold enough to snow, yet it didn't, much to Sode no Shirayuki's dismay (her zanpakuto worked better in cold weather, of course).

She had just completed all of the paperwork on her desk in the thirteenth division, and now, she found herself knocking again on that all-too-familiar door, and hearing the customary "come in" from Byakuya.

It was nighttime, and the office was draped in shadows and the opalescent light of the glittering full moon that was suspended in the sky devoid of clouds outside of the window.

Byakuya had been writing something, as always, but this time by the light of a small lantern that glowed with his reiatsu. Looking up and recognizing Rukia, he let his posture drop and the lantern extinguished, throwing the room into a dim light that was still almost ethereal, as the moonlight perfectly illuminated Byakuya from behind.

Rukia stood in the shadow, allowing only the side of her face to be in the light. She observed the strong sweep of Byakuya's shoulder, the pearly light on his face that made it look more drawn and weary than usual, and the elegant fingers that grasped the ink brush and now set it down.

"I have a mission tomorrow," he said aloud, and to the silent stranger, it would have appeared that he was talking to the air, or to himself. "Yamamoto-genryuusai wants me, Renji, and three other sixth division members to go take care of a Hollow problem in the woods south of Rukongai. There might even be a couple of Menos Grandes."

Rukia remembered those woods well. She had slept in them, and played with Renji in them when she had been nothing more than a street scamp, like so many others, growing up in Rukongai.

She slipped out of the shadows, her movements quiet and deliberate. She wondered if his work was stressing him out more than usual, because she felt that she could sense the dips and creases in his reiatsu where he was stressed. And when he talked, his voice had been almost dead and blank.

No words were needed as she slid her arms around his strong shoulders that seemed to lack their determination nowadays. She felt his heart beating against her arm in his neck, and the slight shift of his muscles.

_I'll be there for you – for anything._

He reached up a hand of his own and caught Rukia's with it, his slightly ink-stained fingers caressing hers, fleetingly and lightly.

_Arigato._

That night, Rukia didn't know why she felt compelled to hold Byakuya, to be Byakuya's "rock" for a change – but all she knew was that it felt so right. For those couple of moments, he wasn't Kuchiki-taichou of the sixth division, nor was she Kuchiki-fukutaichou of the thirteenth division. No, for now, they were husband and wife, bonded together by magic older than the rise of the shinigamis.

Rukia didn't necessarily know why, but she would always remember that night, when the full moon's light had hit both of them perfectly, and how the hair had slid across Byakuya's face, obscuring his eyes. She would remember the light breathing of Byakuya, and how cold his fingers were, sliding over her warm hand.

In retrospect, she knew that the only reason she remembered that night so well was because it was the last time she was reassured that he was still there for her, as she was for him, before her life careened completely and irrationally out of control.

* * *

The next morning, she had awoken, freezing cold, partially because the blankets were tossed and half off of her body, and also because Byakuya was missing from the bed.

_Oh, right…he had a mission._

Yawning and scratching her arm, Rukia rose and dressed, heading down for breakfast and another monotonous day of paperwork at the thirteenth division offices.

She expected Byakuya to come home safe and sound of course, because that was what a good wife did. He always did, because he was Kuchiki-taichou. Nothing could happen to him, right?

Wrong.

* * *

Rukia was first alerted that something was happening when a Hell's butterfly, restless and nervous, flitted into her office, and landed, quivering, on her finger. As soon as the butterfly had touched down, a sharp, searing pain lanced through Rukia's side, as if a zanpakuto had scored a deep cut through her flesh.

When Rukia recovered from the pain, the butterfly was gone, and she felt…normal again, as if nothing had happened. But something was definitely wrong, and she couldn't figure out what.

She hated that feeling, but she forced herself to concentrate on her work for now.

Barely 45 minutes after the first Hell's Butterfly, a second one flew in through the doorway, heading straight towards Rukia.

_Kuchiki Byakuya injured – Battling Menos Grande – Transported to Fourth Division –_

That was all Rukia heard before she had stood up and bolted out of the door, heading to what she hoped was the Fourth Division.

The heavy "what now?" hung in her heart, and whatever she tried to do, she couldn't get rid of it.

* * *

Rukia burst through the doors of the Fourth Division, not caring if she made a big scene. The first person she encountered, though, was Renji, who limped over to her, bloody and battered.

"Renji!" Rukia exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Renji grunted. "It's taichou who got the worst."

"What happened?" she demanded. "Where is he?"

"They're coming with him in a few moments," Renji said. "We were doing fine out on the battlefield, easily taking down the Hollows, when suddenly this big, freaky Menos Grande comes out from the sky and toward taichou. And you know, taichou was just chopping up Hollows like it was the easiest thing in the world, when next thing you know, he goes absolutely crazy at this Menos Grande – I guess the two met before."

A sense of dread filled Rukia as she soon saw where the story would lead.

"Anyways," Renji continued, "they battle it out while we take out the rest of the Hollows. We don't interfere because I can tell it's a personal battle, one-on-one, life or death. Eventually, taichou kills the Menos Grande, but I guess it had to have the last word, because as it went down, it sliced taichou one in the side. The wound…it might be fatal."

Almost as if to mark Renji's words, the doors to the Fourth Division swung open at precisely that very minute, and a pale and bloody Kuchiki Byakuya was rushed through.

Rukia stood there, paralyzed by shock and worry and something else she couldn't quite place her finger on, and watched with large eyes as Unohana-taichou, her mouth set in a straight line and her eyes worried, hurried over to Byakuya.

Rukia willed herself to move to his side, to clutch a bloodied hand, not caring when she smeared his blood on her hand.

"Byakuya," she tried. "Can you hear me?"

She saw the wince of pain in his face and the struggle it took him to open dulled, cloudy eyes that still somehow managed to focus on Rukia's face. "Rukia..." he rasped, his voice fatigued, weak, and fading fast.

The feeling of déjà vu penetrated Rukia's mind as she was reminded of that day when Aizen betrayed Seireitei and Soul Society, and Byakuya took the cut from Ichimaru Gin's zanpakuto that had been meant to kill Rukia.

That had also been the day, when as Byakuya had been healed by Unohana-taichou (he had been lucky that day, Unohana-taichou told Rukia afterwards), Rukia had learned about Hisana, her onee-sama.

"Baka," Rukia hissed, fighting back the stinging tears that sprang up in her eyes. "What did you do?"

"Gomen," Byakuya said softly, and it pained Rukia to see the effort it took him to say that one, simple word, and his flickering and rapidly dimming reiatsu.

"Kuchiki-taichou!" Unohana-taichou suddenly said in a sharp voice, alarm in her eyes.

His eyes started wavering and his grip on Rukia's hand grew weak. "Suki dayo, Rukia…"

"No, no, don't say that," Rukia said, clutching Byakuya's hand as if it was the only thing that still connected him to her – their lifeline.

_You don't mean it…do you?_

A silence fell, punctuated only by Rukia's hoarse scream. "Byakuya! BYAKUYA!"

-_to be continued_-

A/N: Review or else he dies. Muahahaha. No, I don't mean it, but hey, this was my best, pathetically sad attempt at a cliffie. Hehe. And this was a fairly quick update, so I DESERVE MY REVIEWS. Rawr. :D


	9. Wishing and hoping

**100situations Prompt 11 - Coma**

**Title:** Always There Chapter 9 (Part IX)

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Table: **Four

**Prompt:** #11 - Coma

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belongs to Kubo Tite, not me.

**A/N:** Thanks to ALL of my reviewers. You make me happy and inspire me to update!!! Dedicated to D-Chi, an absolutely awesome reviewer who has reviewed every chapter and to Ailey, my sick!bestfriend who is just pathetic. :)

On with the chapter!

* * *

Rukia didn't know how many times she had told herself during those minutes that Byakuya was still alive, still clinging on to the trembling thread of life, still fighting so that he would never leave her. 

But when Byakuya's hand, so cold and unlike the warm hands and fingers that had gripped her body and unconsciously tugged her closer during all the nights spent together, had grown limp and slipped from her hand, she had felt a surge of panic, of grief, and of that horrible, horrible feeling of regret that welled up from her heart and flooded throughout her whole body and made the tears that had stung at her eyes grow and fall onto Byakuya's bloodied and torn shihakusho.

Rukia had teased Byakuya many times about how he had preened every morning until his hair was glossy and perfect, and every wrinkle in his captain's haori and his shihakusho had been ironed out. She had thought him arrogant at first when she realized this ritual of his, but as time wore on, she grew accustomed to him, joked with him about it (their banter always ended in a haughty sniff from him and much-deserved laughter from Rukia), and on the mornings when the bathroom light wasn't on when Rukia woke up, she felt a sense of longing and slight worry.

It was always on those mornings that Rukia hurried to get ready and eat breakfast to go to work, because once she had stepped into the headquarters of the Gotei 13 and dropped off her things in the Thirteenth Division building, she always found some reason to go outside and "train". But really, she wouldn't return to the Thirteenth Division building until she had caught sight of the billowing white captain's haori and regal stance. Then, she would secretly smile and turn and walk back to the Thirteenth Division, satisfied for the day.

The only word that Rukia could ever possibly think of to describe her typhoon-like emotions right now would be fear, and regret. Fear that Byakuya, her rock, her support, and her savior from those dark days in Rukongai would disappear, and she would be lost all over again and fall back into the darkness. But the looming sense of regret pounded in her chest, swelling up again and again like the waves washing over the rocks the one time Rukia had gone to the seaside so long ago.

It was regret in the sense that Rukia regretted not having done anything more, or having done anything sooner to keep Byakuya there by her side, to never let him go. But a small, nagging voice piped up in her head, telling her that whatever she could have tried to do, it wouldn't really have helped prevent the injury Byakuya had sustained that day. Yet somehow, it also wasn't regret, but something more, something completely indescribable. The one experience Rukia could pull out of her memories that bore some semblance to the situation at hand was when Rukia had been running from the bread seller with Renji on the streets of Rukongai, their arms loaded with loaves of stolen bread and their bare feet pounding against the street as passerby swerved out of their way and the yells of the bread seller faded into the distance.

Back then, Rukia had carried her stuffed teddy bear with her _everywhere_. She had found it on a pale day in the autumn, almost pristine and still soft – apparently, some child had dropped it, forgotten, on the street.

But that day, while running from the angry bread seller, Rukia had tripped and fallen. Bear and loaves of bread spilled from her arms and Renji stopped, his eyes wide in surprise and impending worry and the bread seller rounded the corner behind them.

Renji stooped to gather up as many of the loaves of bread as his short arms could, helping Rukia up and thrusting some loaves into her arms before roughly yanking her hand and pulling her along behind him.

Rukia wanted to say something but she didn't, merely watching her beloved bear lie in the street next to a puddle of water and a few loaves of bread, forgotten as it once was so many years earlier before Rukia had picked it up.

For the next few days and weeks, Rukia missed Bear-san terribly, because that had been her comforting warmth during the chilly nights sleeping in the alleys of Rukongai. Eventually, Renji had grown so annoyed with her whining that he had risked venturing back to where she had lost Bear-san to look for him again, only to return later that night, empty-handed and shaking his head.

That had been the point when Rukia truly knew that she would never see her stuffed bear ever again. The feeling she had felt, of losing something that you cherished so very much and now you would never see or feel it again, applied to this very situation.

* * *

She bit her lip and swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat, her shaking fingers gently smoothing the hair out of Byakuya's still face. His eyelashes fluttered, and hope sprung up within Rukia, but no movement nor sound came from Byakuya, and his eyes didn't open to reveal the startling slate-grey irises that so captivated Rukia. She sighed quietly, and resumed her waiting.

* * *

Right about when Byakuya's eyes had grown weary and at last closed, Rukia had screamed his name. She wanted to pull him back to reality, tell him to come back to her, come back _for her_. Kotetsu Isane-fukutaichou had had to pull her away from his body while Unohana-taichou had bent down beside the frighteningly still body of her husband. 

Renji stood next to Rukia, his eyes glazed over in shock. "Taichou," he was murmuring, unable to form words. "Taichou, taichou, no…"

Everyone knew that although Renji put on the tough-guy act and always boasted of beating Byakuya, really the red-haired fukutaichou of the sixth division held Byakuya in great esteem and secretly knew that Kuchiki-taichou was unbeatable.

But then, how did this Menos Grande manage to beat him?

As Rukia stood there, Kotetsu-fukutaichou's hand gripping her shoulders, she felt the world blurring, the many people in the room all erasing themselves until only a vast white space remained with only the sharp, angular features of Byakuya's face and his unmoving body in the middle of that vast space with the vaguely recognizable form of Unohana-taichou bent over him.

Rukia could sense the great power of Unohana-taichou's reiatsu filling the air and filling Byakuya, attempting to heal his grave wound. In those critical, undeterminable moments, Rukia felt as if she had memorized every single dip, crease, and angle of Byakuya's face, overlooking the dirt and blood that coated his smooth skin.

Unohana-taichou finally stood up, and the world hurtled back into focus at a dizzying speed, the colors flying back, and the people moving again. The Fourth Division taichou's eyes peered into Rukia's unblinking face, and Rukia barely found the breath to ask in a raspy voice, "Is he dead?"

Unohana-taichou's face fell ever so slightly. "No," she answered, and Rukia believed her heart soared several feet into the sky just then. There was hope, then, if Byakuya wasn't dead. He was fighting, fighting to keep the lead he had on Death right now. He had a chance.

"However," Unohana-taichou continued, her eyes bleak, "he has fallen into a coma and I'm unable to reverse the effects. His wound is healed, but his body still needs to recuperate, and his reiatsu is very low for the average level, even for a trauma patient."

Rukia licked her paper-dry lips, and struggled to form her next words. "How long will he be in a coma?"

Unohana-taichou bowed her head and looked away. "I'm unable to tell of right now. It could be anywhere from two months to a two years and possibly even more."

Rukia felt the world spinning wildly again, and she struggled to keep her control. She looked over at Byakuya. He was breathing yes, and the slight rise and fall of his chest reminded Rukia of those rare times when she had awoken before him, usually right at dawn. The sun would be coming up, and the dark bedroom would soon be illuminated in the soft early morning light. She would lie there, reveling in the feel of his slightly moving weight against her side until he stirred and awoke. Sometimes, when he blinked open his eyes to the new day, he would look down at her tucked into his body and give a small smile, but more often than not, he was still drowsy and simply blinked a couple of times at her. But it didn't matter because Rukia understood and Rukia didn't know that the small things like waking up together would mean so much to her right then because Byakuya would never wake up again, and they would never share another small smile in the mornings before they left and took their separate ways to work.

_Wake up, Byakuya…please._

* * *

_21 days_

The large Kuchiki estate had never been particularly welcoming to Rukia, especially when she had first moved in. But over the years, she had grown to love the elegance and refined air the mansion gave off, and she soon felt as if she finally had a true home.

As it was, whenever Rukia came back from running an errand, or when she came home from work, Byakuya was always there, or he soon came back after Rukia. Rukia had never imagined the house _without_ Byakuya's presence, but now the comfort Rukia had once sought within the stone walls seemed to die away and a gloomy pallor settled over it.

Rukia had forced herself to return to work, to keep up her wan, slightly cheerful façade, and even though her hope of Byakuya returning to her dwindled with each day, she resolutely told herself over and over that he _would_ come back. He was Kuchiki Byakuya, dammit.

Kuchikis _did not_ just die.

After work, Rukia always made her way to the Fourth Division, to the room where "Kuchiki Byakuya" was written on the door. The small room in the Fourth Division was now her home and Rukia sat there, wishing, hoping, but mostly, telling herself to be thankful that he was still alive.

On the days that Rukia managed to tear herself away from his bedside, where she kept a small vigil, she headed back to the dark, empty house, where she fell onto the bed and breathed in the scent that he still left on the pillow and she believed that he was still there next to her, surrounding her.

Usually, though, she fell asleep in the small, cramped Fourth Division room assigned to Byakuya, her head resting on the bed, her fingers tangled with Byakuya's unresponsive ones.

Rukia had learned the hard way back in Rukongai that it didn't do you any good to imagine, or to pretend that things would happen, but just for this occasion, she pretended that as she gripped his hand in her own, he squeezed her hand back.

Unohana-taichou stood in the shadows of the doorway too many times to count, watching the still-young Kuchiki Rukia fall asleep after murmuring a few words to Kuchiki-taichou, her hair askew on the white sheets, her small body breathing in sync to his.

Unohana-taichou wished that she could tell Rukia good news, but as the days passed, everything was the same.

* * *

_One month, nine days_

The Sixth Division still functioned under the command of Renji, because they were part of the Gotei 13, even though Byakuya was gone. No Kuchiki-taichou was there to issue sharp orders, no Kuchiki-taichou was there to fill out all of the paperwork in his neat and precise hand, and no Kuchiki-taichou was there to reprimand Renji and occasionally give him advice.

On the one time that Rukia visited Renji in the all-too-familiar Sixth Division offices, she saw that Byakuya's taichou desk was still intact from the last time he had sat in it, that frosty moonlit night when they had talked for the last time. It was as messy as ever, strewn with papers and brushes and pots of ink. His customary cup that was now empty but was usually filled with green tea sat in its assigned corner of the desk.

Rukia noticed that Renji still occupied the fukutaichou's desk, although he did the work of a temporary taichou.

It was good to know that she wasn't the only one who still held hope for Byakuya.

She knew that Renji also believed that one day, Byakuya would come striding back into the office, a new sheaf of paperwork in hand, and say something in his sharp, clipped tone to Renji, usually an order to get back to work because Renji was snoozing on the couch again.

No matter how much Renji grumbled and groaned and made a big-ass deal of not wanting to get back to work, it was a long-ingrained tradition that once broken, sent everything shattering and whirling out of order.

Rukia's fingers caressed Byakuya's cheek that February afternoon, tracing the lines she had never noticed before and exploring the fine skin she had never had a chance to explore before.

"It's almost spring, Byakuya," she whispered, even though she knew it was silly to talk because Byakuya couldn't hear her. "I remember how much you love spring because then you could see the cherry blossoms in bloom…"

Her voice cracked and she fell silent for a moment. "Wake up and enjoy the spring, Byakuya."

She was issuing a command, an order, but Byakuya lay there, as silent and as still as he had ever been for the past month.

She gave a half sob, before burying her face in the blanket that covered Byakuya. It felt so real, like he was just sleeping and that the slightest touch could awaken him and everything could be fine again.

Renji, standing in the doorway, thought better of his decision to go in and instead, quietly turned and slipped away, sliding the door shut behind him.

* * *

_Two months, 15 days_

Spring was in full swing in Seireitei, and the sakura trees in the Kuchiki gardens were heavily loaded with the thick pink blossoms that embodied Byakuya's zanpakuto.

But in a small room tucked away in the third floor of the Fourth Division, Kuchiki Byakuya's room was as dark and as still as ever.

Rukia didn't know what to say now, because over the course of her dozens of visits to his room, she had said almost all that needed to be said, sometimes talking about what she had never gotten to say to him, or what they had never gotten to do together.

"I played the piano yesterday," Rukia said, her voice soft. "I played our favorite piece until my fingers were sore, and I remembered that it was our favorite because it was the first piece you ever taught me to play."

"I – I don't know what I want to say anymore," Rukia continued, even though she knew that she was speaking to little more than the air. "I want to hope that you _will_ wake up, that one day your eyes will open and you'll speak to me again. But the days just keep on passing by, and you don't wake up, and…I don't know if I should hope anymore."

Hesitantly, she leaned forward, and brushing the strands of his fine hair off of his face, she pressed her lips to his forehead, the simple gesture invoking nostalgia within her of all the times when she had felt _his_ lips against her forehead, before he left for work or at night, when she burrowed closer to his body.

"I'll keep on hoping," she murmured. "Only for you."

Rukia never realized all those trivial things, like how their eyes met sometimes as Rukia descended the stairs to breakfast, or the sarcastic tone that Byakuya's voice sometimes carried would matter so much to her now that she would never experience them again.

She clung on to those memories because it gave her the tinder for her spark of hope that he would wake up, just like he had all of those mornings, and blink drowsily at her, like nothing had changed at all.

_I only want to feel your lips against my skin again._

_I only want to hear your voice again._

_I only want to stare into your eyes again._

_Please, Byakuya, wake up._

-to be continued-

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, this was a much-due update and I just totally let loose all inhibitions and wrote and wrote and wrote. Yay for long chapters! Haha. 

Will Byakuya wake up or not? -gasp!-

REVIEW. (or else he won't wake up. Not ever! Hahaha.)

I was pissed because the site wasn't working earlier in the day when I finished the chapter, so I did my homework and then came up to upload the chapter. At least I didn't forget to update!

Now. Poll.

I Have the next few chapters all planned out, and I'm thinking about finishing this after maybe 3 or 4 chapters. Honestly, do you think that this would be a good place to finish it off, or do you see more hope in pulling out the marriage? If you chose the latter, any opinions and/or ideas are welcome!

Thanks! All of you have been fantastic reviewers and supporters and I love you all. Kudos if you read the whole A/N!


	10. Taking angel wings to the sky

**Title:** Always There Chapter 10 (Part X)

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Table: **Four

**Prompt:** #43 - Angel

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belongs to Kubo Tite, not me.

**A/N:** To _Byakuya117_, my 200th reviewer, who requested this as the prize. Huzzah's all around! But no worries, all of you are awesome and fantastic and I love each one of you to death. Okay. ON WITH CHAPTER TEN.

Oh, and I should add that I finished the chapter, but I didn't want to update, and then I figured that angry reviewers would kill me if I didn't, so here I am. :) Aren't you glad?

* * *

Byakuya was flying. 

It was like he was in the _shukei_ form of his bankai, with the _hakuteikan_ at his side, except that instead of having wings and a halo composed of his reiatsu, the wings and halo Byakuya sported now appeared….real.

Byakuya had always wanted to fly. It seemed splendid, to soar through the sky, above everybody else, and never be able to be caught.

He was an angel descended from the sky.

Well, being shinigami, he could stand in the sky and "move", technically, but it didn't allow for the free range of movement, the sinuous stretching of muscles and limbs that were unusually light and seemed that all one needed for flying was a good wind to float upon.

He wondered where he was, at times, because he was nothing but a mere speck in a vast canvas of blue, the beautiful, tranquil blue of a sunny blue sky in the spring, overblown with sakura blossoms and brightening up even more with Rukia's smile.

_Byakuya._

Somebody was calling for him, a voice that was hauntingly familiar, so similar to Rukia's, but it couldn't be – he was dead, wasn't he? And unless Rukia had died too—

_Byakuya. Come here._

He furled his wings and dropped to the ground, if there was a ground in this large, stretching atmosphere. But he soon felt secure on his feet and warily stood up, regarding his surroundings with sharp taichou eyes honed from years of experience.

A voice spoke from behind him, the same voice that had been calling him.

"I'm glad to see you're doing well, Byakuya-sama."

It was a shy, delicate voice, one that Byakuya suddenly realized who it was with a jolt. He whipped around, and stared into the demure face that had been Hisana's.

"H-Hisana…"

She laughed, all tinkling bells and a proper laugh expected of a Kuchiki lady. Her face hadn't changed at all since the last time he had held her hand and whispered that he loved her before she sighed and closed her eyes and left him forever.

"Naa, Byakuya-sama, what are you doing here? You don't belong here." Her brows furrowed in that adorable way of hers that Byakuya had spent hours tenderly pointing out and she had laughed and told him to find better things to do than just stare at her.

Rukia did the same thing, Byakuya realized.

"I – where am I?"

"This?" Hisana gestured around her with one large arm, delicately wrapped in a replication of the plum-colored kimono she had worn when she had died. Byakuya thought, randomly, that if he died, he would want to die wearing his shihakusho and his captain's haori so he could wear them forever.

"This isn't really anywhere. It isn't Life, and it isn't Death, not quite yet." She peered at him with inquisitive eyes, searching him. "It's closer to Death than Life, though. This is why I'm here."

He blinked, confused, for a few moments. "Are you really Hisana?" he ventured cautiously.

She laughed again. "Of course. Who else would I be?"

"An imposter," he said bluntly.

"If I wanted to be an imposter, Byakuya-sama, then I would have chosen Rukia, because that's the one you care for the most," Hisana replied. Her words were as soft and as carefully-chosen as always, but to Byakuya a huge _thud_ hit his heart and he told himself that that wasn't true.

Hisana turned, and began to walk away, and Byakuya wondered how she knew her way around this place. Did she always do this to the people stuck between Life and Death, or was it only for him? "Come on, Byakuya-sama," she called over her shoulder. "I'm here for a reason, and I haven't got any time to waste before you start to be pulled closer to Death." She jerked her head to a dark abyss swelling on the left side of the blue space, one that Byakuya hadn't dared fly close to because of the evil reeking from that place, and he was relieved that he hadn't.

An old spark jumped into her eye, one that Byakuya recognized from the first day when he had found her in Rukongai, after she had stood up to him and stubbornly yet fiercely talked with him in a way that surely violated some rule in the Kuchiki handbook that said that it was illegal for beggars to talk to aristocrats like that.

Still wary about the whole Hisana-suddenly-appearing situation, Byakuya had little choice left than to follow Hisana as she disappeared over a dip and out of sight.

* * *

"Where are we?" demanded Byakuya after what had seemed like hours of going in circles and following Hisana. 

"Now we're getting closer to Life," Hisana said matter-of-factly. "Except that once you 'cross the border', as we like to call it, you still won't be restored to Life because I'm here with you."

Byakuya didn't quite catch that, but he didn't dare argue with the tone Hisana held. Even more confusing was the "we" that she constantly referred to. What was "we"? Or rather, who was "we"?

* * *

"Come," Hisana said for practically the twentieth time. "We're here." 

She cocked her head at him, her eyes reading, before she turned tail and dove into a large hole that seemed to pulse behind her.

Byakuya stood there, stunned for a few moments, debating whether or not to follow Hisana. This hole could most certainly lead to Death, and Byakuya wouldn't know, because the Hisana he had been following all along could have been an impostor.

He weighed the pros or cons, using the precise analytical thinking of a taichou. At last, he concluded that even if the hole led to Death, he didn't really have much left to lose – a few more days, and he would have been in Death anyways (or at least, what Byakuya thought of as "a few more days" – it could have very well been two months or three years in the real world).

Sighing at what he had been reduced to, diving into black holes like Alice chasing the rabbit into Wonderland (Byakuya had never told a single soul that he secretly loved the story of Alice in Wonderland), Byakuya took a deep breath, and dove.

* * *

He tumbled out into a dimly lit room, with what he could make out as two figures. One was lying still in a bed, while the other smaller figure was hunched over the bedside. 

"You just wasted a week and a half of you already dwindling life debating whether to jump in after me or not," Hisana snapped, but Byakuya lost her words when he realized with a shock, who exactly the figures in the room were.

Coming closer, he saw that the pale, frightening figure lying still and comatose in the bed was…_him._ It was a surreal experience seeing your exact twin down to the scar he had gotten on his collarbone when he had accidentally been playing with his father's zanpakuto when he was six.

Well, at least he wasn't dead. He was just in a coma, which was as good as being dead, because he had no idea when he was supposed to wake up (which was rather ironic, in retrospect, since Byakuya was the one in the coma anyways).

But what really shocked him was that it was Rukia, sound asleep on the bedside, her small fingers entangled with his own still fingers. It was moving, actually, to see that she still cared for him even though he was almost on the brink of death, and even though technically, he had left her already.

"Why am I here?" he asked, watching Rukia for any sign of a reaction, but she didn't stir. He hesitantly placed a hand on her arm, and he felt the warmth of her skin, but she didn't budge, and her breathing stayed the same.

"I've been watching you, Byakuya-sama," Hisana said, a bit too solemnly for his liking. "I'm so glad that you found Rukia and you took her in under your wing."

She glanced fondly at Rukia, murmuring something along the lines of "she's all grown up now," under her breath, before turning back to Byakuya. "Of course, I never imagined that you would go and marry her, but there you go. I know it wasn't exactly the best arrangement for both of you, but I was delighted to learn that both of you actually loved each other and both of you were being dumbasses trying to figure out how to tell each other."

"Charming, Hisana," Byakuya remarked dryly. "And don't you think 'love' is a strong word?"

"No," she replied stubbornly, the gleam in her eyes getting brighter. "I'm here to tell you why you love Rukia and that you only get a second chance to go back, because of Rukia, and if you're careful, stay there in Life because you get a second chance to love and a second chance to live."

"I told her I loved her," Byakuya replied, almost automatically, and his mind flashed back to his last memories before he had spiraled into the field of black and Rukia's panicked face blurred and faded and her scream disappeared into silence.

_His eyes started wavering and his grip on Rukia's hand grew weak. "Suki dayo, Rukia…"_

"_No, no, don't say that," Rukia said, clutching Byakuya's hand as if it was the only thing that still connected him to her – their lifeline._

"She didn't believe me," Byakuya muttered. "I told her I loved her, but she didn't believe me."

"Rukia a stubborn sort," Hisana said rather airily, seating herself on one of the rickety wooden chairs in what Byakuya recognized as the Fourth Division.

"But why doesn't she believe me?" Byakuya asked, frustrated.

"That's why you get a second chance," Hisana said. "You get a second chance to go back and tell Rukia you love her, and you convince her that it's true, and she believes you and she tells you she loves you back because that's how fairy tale romances go," she continued, a dreamy look entering her eye before snapping back to Byakuya. "She secretly loves you, Byakuya-sama, but she's even more confused than you about how to express it."

"Love trumps everything," Hisana remarked. "It's the superior out of all of them, even higher than death." She laughed now, rather mirthlessly, and refused to meet Byakuya's eye. "You're lucky you're even getting the second chance. I told you everything that I had ever truly meant in my life, and I didn't get any second chance."

"But I don't even know _why_ I love her—" Byakuya started.

"You're so thick," Hisana scoffed, swinging back around to look at Byakuya. Only Byakuya knew this side of Hisana, the side of the tough and fiercely independent street scamp he had rescued off of the streets of Rukongai before she had been transformed into the prim and proper Lady Kuchiki.

He had a second chance, with Rukia, and he wouldn't let that happen to her. She would always stay his Rukia, and not the next artificial Lady Kuchiki.

"Let me sum it up for you," Hisana continued. "You love her because you admire her spunk and her courage and you secretly love your small banter sometimes because both of you are petulant little children and both of you _have_ to get your way because you're just so damn stubborn like that. You find her intriguing, unpredictable, like fire. You like the challenge she always seems to exude and also, you think that she's beautiful."

Byakuya faintly blushed at the last words Hisana said, but didn't contest anything that she had said after mulling over it for a few moments. All of the accusations she threw at him were true, and there were much more, like how he loved watching her train with Sode no Shirayuki and practicing the steps of the dances with that lone white ribbon fluttering behind her, or simply marveling at how wonderfully her body fit into his when he buried his nose into her hair and held her tight in the dim shadows of their room back at the Kuchiki mansion.

Hisana took a deep breath, and continued. "_She_ loves you because—"

He stood up and stepped over to her. "Don't," he said quietly. "I understand what I have to do now, and I'd rather hear Rukia's reasons from Rukia herself."

Hisana blinked and snapped closed her gaping jaw. "Well, that didn't take you as long as I'd predicted. Then, come along. She's going to wake up any second now and feel your reiatsu."

"Can we wait a few seconds…? I want…I want to see her wake up."

Hisana muttered something about "bossy Kuchiki-taichous never change" and in a breath, Byakuya felt instantly weightless and Hisana had disappeared, her parting words being "follow the blue line when you're done and I'll be at the end of it."

Rukia stirred and awoke, her small nose twitching and her hair disarrayed and all jumbled up around her head. Her eyes were bleary but as vividly purple as ever.

Byakuya had always thought that Rukia looked beautiful, like an angel, in the rare morning when they woke up together and he awoke and saw her large eyes blinking contentedly down at him.

The whirlwind of the past few months slammed back into him with a sickening thud, and Byakuya bit his lip (so reminiscent to Rukia's habit of biting her own lip when nervous or worried)as he watched Rukia squeeze the hand of his still form and murmur some comforting words that he couldn't make out.

"Rukia," Byakuya tried, but the room was as still and as deathly silent as ever.

"I'll come back, I promise," he continued.

Rukia's face was hidden in the shadow and the gentle curve of her hair, but the lone tear that traveled down her face was unmistakable, as she tenderly caressed his hand.

"Only for you," he murmured, and then, following the distinct blue line as Hisana said, he disappeared back into The Dimension Suspended Between Life and Death.

* * *

"How do I get back?" were Byakuya's first words as soon as he had ungracefully tumbled back out into the wide, stretching blue space. 

Hisana was facing the opposite direction, and her words were more subdued now, more familiar to the quiet, timid, Lady Kuchiki that never dared venture out of her shell. "Think of your happiest moment," she said hollowly. "Think of your happiest moment with Rukia, and then you'll be back to where you started."

"Hisana, I'm sorry – " Byakuya started.

"Don't be," she said, her eyes bittersweet. "Go, Byakuya-sama, go back to Rukia, and make her happy."

"Make her happy, because that's what second chances are for, ne?"

She managed a smile and then turned her back again, hunching over and staring distantly into the vast world that had no beginning or an end.

"Hisana-"

"Just go already!" Hisana practically shrieked at him, her hair flying as she tossed it, and her eyes wide. "You already did too much for me by taking Rukia in and making her happy. She's almost given up on you, Byakuya-sama, so don't give up on her for me! I was the past, and she's the present. Please, just please, make her happy, whatever you do."

Byakuya smiled crookedly and nodded. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

Hisana gave a short nod. "Now go."

Byakuya closed his eyes, sorting and choosing from all of the memories he contained, for quite possibly, the happiest one he had of Rukia.

_It was during one of their lazy Saturday mornings together, back when they had all the time in the world and they usually spent it in the beautiful red room in the Kuchiki estate, Rukia's small, delicate fingers gliding over ancient yellowed keys on the piano, guided by Byakuya's larger ones._

_Her nose scrunched up in the most adorable way as she practiced her chords, and then as Byakuya silently looked on, she practiced the piece again, until the music seemed ingrained into the very room whenever he stepped onto the lush red carpeting._

_She laughed, a sinuous, floating laugh that carried and cut through the music. Byakuya smiled, and settling his hands on the piano, he added his accompaniment._

_It had been a rainy and blustery, heartless day outside, but Byakuya felt that in the shadowed room draped in red velvet carpeting and the ancient piano that had been there for generations, it was the warmest place on earth, simply because he was there with Rukia._

* * *

Byakuya blinked open his eyes to find himself in the room in the Fourth Division, with a warm weight pressing down on his chest. 

He stirred slightly, and recognized the early morning light seeping in through the drapes drawn over the window, and Rukia's dark hair sprawled out over his chest. He could feel the scar stretching across his abdomen from where the Menos Grandes had cut him.

Had it really been that long? It had only felt like the course of minutes the last time he had left Rukia in this very room, and she had been awake. But now, she was asleep again, and Byakuya guessed that at the very least, a few days had passed. He didn't even want to know how much precious time had passed during the time he had been flying in The Space Between Life and Death, as he had dubbed it.

He moved again, shifting his body weight and trying to loosen out the slight cramps that had worked their way into his muscles. Rukia mumbled something, and blearily blinked open her eyes, and promptly stared at him.

"B-Byakuya!"

It even hurt to smile, but Byakuya did so anyways. "Ohayo, Rukia."

"Is – is this a dream?" she whispered, her lip quivering, and her eyes brimming over with unshed tears.

"No," he said simply, and even though pain burst through his body when Rukia threw herself at him and sobbed into his shoulder, and he awkwardly held her and patted her back, it was all worth it to feel Rukia safe in his arms again.

"It's good to be back."

-_to be continued-_

* * *

**A/N:** THERE. A HAPPY ENDING. SATISFIED, MUNCHKINS? 

Ohmygod. I hated this chapter so, so much. The ending was okay. But the middle was AURGH. Hisana was supposed to be better than that, I swear, because one moment she was kicking Byakuya's ass and then the next she was the shy little housewife again.

Criticize me. I need it.

But other than that, definitely review.

**POLL **(again) – now that all of you know what happened, do you think this is a good place to end the story, with another chapter or two to tie up loose ends? Or do you think this story still has hope and inspiration to be continued?

**A)** Continue it!

**B)** End it!

Haha. Please vote honestly. Thanks!! Now go **review**.


	11. The end of the beginning

**Title:** Always There Chapter 11 (Part XI)

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Table: **Four

**Prompt:** #97 – Writer's Choice: Beginning

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belongs to Kubo Tite, not me.

**A/N:** Thanks very much to all of my reviewers and readers for sticking with me for so long! And fluff warning ahead. -cringes-

* * *

"_It's good to be back."_

* * *

_A month later…_

Byakuya had made rapid progress that was astonishing, even to Unohana-taichou. Rukia stuck to the Kuchiki-taichou's side like a little burr, and the relief in her violet eyes caused even Kotetsu-fukutaichou to soften and allow Rukia to stay by the bedside in the small room in the Fourth Division.

If one were to approach Unohana-taichou and ask her about the fast recovery of one Kuchiki-taichou, she would turn and smile fondly at Rukia, who would once again be speaking softly to Kuchiki-taichou or absentmindedly stroking his hand as she nodded off when Byakuya's breathing was already steady and calm in the throes of sleep. Unohana-taichou would look at the two shinigami, both equally powerful in their own right, and smile that crooked little smile of hers that was so cryptic and mysterious.

"Sometimes love is more powerful than all the reiatsu in the world," she would say, and exit the room, shutting the door behind her.

Rukia, as it was, was delighted at how well Byakuya was doing, and ever since that first day when he opened his eyes, his beautifully dark eyes that she could drown herself in all over again, and rasped her name. He looked like shit, that was true, but the huskiness scraping in his throat and the drowsiness reflected in his hooded eyes made up all for it, and the fact that he was simply _alive_ and there and that there was hope for the two of them all over again.

There was hope to do the things they never got to do, and the things they never got to say. If there was hope, there was time to learn the new piece of the piano Byakuya had promised to teach her but never did, and time to say "I love you" and mean it for real this time.

She was always there, always by his side, helping him with everything from telling him the news that had occurred in Seireitei to his every little whim, such as fetching him water or a spray of sakura blossoms specially picked from one of Byakuya's favorite sakura trees on the Kuchiki grounds.

Rukia never paused to think about why when Ichimaru Gin slashed him with Shinsou all those years ago, it had taken him nearly five months to recover, and it had been a relatively minor injury, in the professional opinion of Unohana-taichou. But this time, Byakuya had lapsed into a coma for nearly three months, yet he had almost fully recovered in about a month.

The very first time Byakuya had ventured out of the bed to walk, his muscles had atrophied so much that his legs had promptly buckled and he fell with an unsightly crash to the floor. Rukia, upon entering the room and finding Byakuya in a rather pathetic heap on the floor, had laughed until she cried, but at seeing Byakuya's miffed look, had gone to help him up, even though his dead weight in her slender arms didn't help much.

Byakuya was too ashamed of letting anyone see the great Kuchiki-taichou reduced to a stumbling, volatile-to-fall-down-at-every-other-step person, and only relented in Rukia's case so that she was his therapist, in a way. Slowly, through long days and weeks, Byakuya's strength improved so that he could walk almost as proudly and as confidently as he had the very day he had been struck by the Menos Grandes and missed the world as it still turned without him. Rukia stubbornly ignored the warmth that was his arms across her shoulders, and the fingers that clutched hers a little too tightly. All the same, she didn't say anything, not even when the look on Byakuya's face was so disgusted and frustrated with himself that when he cast a sideways glance at Rukia, he practically dared her to say something, to reprimand him, or to degrade the once-powerful Kuchiki-taichou.

Instead, Rukia pursed her lips and remembered a time when Byakuya could take down fifty Hollows at once with Senbonzakura's bankai. She held onto that thought as she gently reached down and helped Byakuya up, and Senbonzakura murmured her thanks to Rukia.

It was hard every single day, but before Rukia knew it, a month had passed and one day, as Rukia looked up from her novel she realized that Byakuya was walking by himself from the bed to the door. He looked at her just then and smiled at his accomplishment, and even thought it was something so simple and taken for granted to so many people, Rukia felt her heart warm and she smiled back, because things were settling back now.

* * *

_It's autumn again_, Rukia thought as summer slipped away and the days started to get cooler. The leaves changed to dappled colors of red, gold, and orange, and soon, they fell in the hordes, littering the ground. 

Byakuya had already resumed his duties as taichou of the Sixth Division, and even though his reiatsu wasn't the best it needed to be, Unohana-taichou and Rukia were confident that with time and good care, it would return to normal. Even though Renji still had to do some of the taichou duties for Byakuya, with Byakuya back in the high-backed chair in the office of the sixth division, everything seemed normal again and Rukia felt the weight that had pressed down on her during the months when Byakuya had wavered between life and death lifted and relieved. She felt that she could breathe now, and smell the fresh air she seemed to have missed while she kept vigil over Byakuya in his room in the Fourth Division.

With life resuming normalcy again, Byakuya got the ok from Unohana-taichou to move back to the Kuchiki mansion. When Rukia's head hit the pillow on their bed, she smiled, because she could smell Byakuya on the pillow, and that helped her fall asleep easier.

It was an off day for both Rukia and Byakuya, and Rukia felt content to sit on the stone bench in the garden and watch Byakuya practice his bankai to make it top-notch again. She had brought along a book to set up the ruse that she was reading, except that she had been so enthralled with the glowing, deadly sakura that she had set the book aside a long time ago to watch Byakuya use his mind, and then his hands, to form the sakura into groups that elaborately wound around an invisible enemy before exploding to signify the attack.

Rukia's sharp eyes saw that after a few hours, he was starting to tire. "Stop, Byakuya," she called out to him. "Take a break for a few minutes."

At first, his face looked like it might disagree, but Senbonzakura must have said something to him because his face evened out and he gave a small nod before summoning all of the sakura blossoms and vanishing them before taking a seat on the bench next to Rukia.

They sat together in an amiable silence, with Rukia happily taking in the multicolored leaves that formed the land around them.

"I love autumn," she sighed contentedly.

At her side, she felt Byakuya stiffen up ever so slightly, and her mind whirled back to the time almost a year ago, when she had asked him why he didn't like autumn because he never looked out of his window.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to, really, I know you don't like autumn and—"

Byakuya's warm hand and the slight pressure he exerted on her knee made her stop and look inquisitively at him with large eyes.

"I wanted to tell you this a long time ago," he murmured, "but I never got the chance, before…well, you know. But maybe now is the best time."

Rukia pulse thundered in her ears, and she was acutely aware of how her hands suddenly grew cold, even in the fairly warm fall breeze.

Byakuya gazed thoughtfully at an almost-barren tree in the corner of the garden. "Autumn is bittersweet," he started out. "That's the best word I can find to describe it. You see, Hisana died in autumn, which is why I hated it so much." His eyes, in a time far away from the present, fixed unseeingly upon a shrub to the right of him.

"Then," Byakuya continued, "You came into my life the next autumn…I never really knew if that was a good or a bad thing." His voice trailed off and he seemed lost in thought. Impulsively, Rukia reached over and squeezed his fingers with her hand, but almost immediately retracted her hand as embarrassment burned at her cheeks, even after more than a year of being "married".

His eyes cleared and he looked at her, and Rukia was surprised to see that he looked slightly nervous. It was unheard of, Kuchiki-taichou, nervous?

Byakuya might have, at that point, muttered something similar to "this is really awkward", but he entwined his fingers with hers and cocked his head, delicately choosing his next words to say. "Now I understand better, Rukia," he said. "Autumn is a beautiful world now, a world that I never got to see before, because of you. You made me see the world differently, you changed my perspective, and even though I was forced into the marriage, I…I love you."

He held her eyes for a moment, boring into hers, before the suddenly looked away at the ground. Rukia stared at him for a long time before regaining her senses.

"You're…Byakuya…you—you mean it?"

His eyes flicked back up to her face. "Yes."

She smiled, a slow smile that spread across her face and she sent her book toppling onto the ground as she grabbed Byakuya and kissed him, none too gently or sweetly, but with the passion and power that both of them had kept locked up for far too long.

Air became a bothersome necessity soon enough, and they broke apart, content to revel in the warmth of the other and watch the spiraling leaves flutter past them and crest gently to a stop on the ground. Byakuya expertly snatched one of the air and Rukia laughed when she failed at attempting to catch the next leaf. Byakuya twirled the withered leaf in between his fingers before letting it whirl off in the next wind; his eyes intently studying Rukia.

"I love your laugh," he murmured in a low voice. "I love how you view the world in such a carefree way that I never got to. I love how you were able to overcome your hardships and accept your life, while I never quite got over mine. I love your perseverance and most of all, I love being able to be a part of your life and seeing you happy."

His words melted something in Rukia's heart; almost making her want to cry with either the sheer corniness of his little declaration, or how she believed that every last word of his was true.

"I love your strength, and your courage," she responded. "I love how you keep a calm head in rough situations and how—" her voice cracked just then, but she held her head high "I love how you help me through hard situations, and…I love you Byakuya."

A light tear escaped out of her eye as she buried her head in the warm crook of his shoulder and she felt his lips skim the top of her forehead, just like it had always been.

He was always there for her, and now, she would try to do the same for him.

As Byakuya's arms went around her body, Rukia dizzily thought for a fleeting second that perhaps, this was too good to last.

_The end of Part 1_

-_keizoku_-

(keizoku means "continuation" in Japanese…my way of saying "to be continued" from here on)

* * *

**A/N**: Oh lord. I think I exhausted my fluff quota for this chapter. It was teeth-grinding, mind-warping fluff. Uh. But I've decided to continue this story (yay!) and I am so sorry about the wait in updating. I've planned for the story to have four arcs, and this chapter ends the first arc :) Short chapter too, I should note. 

Homework _and_ Nanowrimo are very demanding, but I'll definitely try to continue to write ff. The next chapter (the beginning of the second arc) will be _very_ interesting, because a few new characters of my own will come waltzing in.

**Review** (if you didn't die from the sheer fluff of it).


	12. New developments

**Title:** Always There Chapter 12 (Part XII)

**Fandom:** Bleach

**Table: **Four

**Prompt:** #34 - Cranky

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all of its characters belongs to Kubo Tite, not me.

**A/N: **This is to all of the reviewers who faithfully review every chapter - I remember when I wrote chapter one, I went "this is going to be a one-shot". And then I wrote another chapter as an add-on.

But due to all of the support I got, I added more and more chapters, and then it just snowballed...

So THANK YOU ALL. -hearts-

And, I totally betrayed nanowrimo to write this. Oh well.

* * *

_The beginning of the second arc..._

* * *

Rukia sometimes wondered what bliss was.

Sometimes, she thought that bliss was being free of all her duties and lying on a grassy hill overlooking Seireitei and doing nothing but watching the birds trill in the sky and the clouds float by.

Maybe, bliss was throwing all of the blasted paperwork Ukitake-taichou piled upon her (as his fuku-taichou) out of the window and watching them fall into the stream below and being _free_ of all of their little words that scrambled together in her head and made absolutely no sense.

Then again, bliss might be curled up on the sofa on a cold winter's evening, watching Nikkou yowl at Byakuya for taking his favorite chewing slipper that, coincidentally or not-so-coincidentally, also happened to be Byakuya's favorite slipper. Rukia would sit back against the plush pillows lining the sofa with a steaming mug of hot chocolate, or some nice tea, and watch Nikkou growl and attempt to run with the slipper back to wherever the cat kept the little trinkets he stole. Byakuya would chase the little cat around, and Rukia could hear the pattering of Nikkou's paws and the stamping of Byakuya's feet (Rukia sometimes wondered if she ought to remind Byakuya that he could just _shunpo_) all along the hallways before Byakuya emerged back into the room and collapsed on the couch next to his wife and muttered, "That blasted cat."

Rukia would then smile at him and try to console him without bursting out into laughter at the dismayed look at Byakuya's face as he realized that he would never get his slipper back without using Senbonzakura Kageyoshi or something on the cat (and then again, Rukia knew that secretly, Byakuya loved Nikkou too much to decimate the poor "ratty furball" into a million pieces).

Rukia thought that she had found bliss when she had been introduced to Sode no Shirayuki and she had learned her shikai, the "first dance, white moon". Rukia had felt like she was soaring on the adrenaline of the battle as a beautiful white ribbons unfurled from her zanpakuto's hilt and curved around her in a perfect unwavering circle. The world darkened, unbelievably so, and then it all disappeared into ice, except for the heat Rukia felt pounding in her veins and Sode no Shirayuki's soft voice whispering in her ear, advising her.

She had felt that obtaining her shikai (and then ensuing, her next two dances) and using her shikai in the midst of a battle was true bliss. It was graceful, yet beautiful, deadly, and powerful (of course, nothing could compare to Byakuya's Senbonzakura, but Rukia was resilient that she would get to his level…someday). She felt like wings could sprout from her back and she could lazily float above all the frozen land and feel at peace…at bliss.

But finally, Rukia felt that she pinpointed just what exactly bliss was. Bliss was waking up in the strong arms of one Kuchiki Byakuya (also Kuchiki-taichou, and only referred to by Byakushi by the only one Shihouin Yoruichi who was audacious enough to risk Byakuya's wrath) in the early morning light, his chest pressed against her back and his hair tangled up and mussed, without his usual kenseikan in place, and falling across her shoulder.

His breaths were deep and even, and Rukia was rather relieved that he didn't snore as loudly as one red-headed lieutenant she knew in the sixth division. His face was free of all the lines of worry and stress that it usually held, and he looked younger, and peaceful. His fingers were usually fisted with hers and Rukia marveled at how even though his hands were so much larger than hers, it seemed as if when they put their hands together, it was a perfect, perfect fit.

She would stir ever so slightly (usually by accident because she never meant to truly awake a peaceful, sleeping Byakuya) and Byakuya's lightning fast reflexes would react and he would stir too. In time, his beautiful dark eyes would blink drowsily open and stare at her face for a few unfocused seconds, getting accustomed to the new morning light and the new day. Then, his arms would pull her closer in to his body (she gladly obliged with his silent request), and he would whisper in her ear, "Good morning."

Now, this was bliss.

Byakuya was allowing Rukia to see him at his most vulnerable, when his hair was a mess from sleeping, he was in nothing but black silk pajamas, he was hogging more than his half of the covers like a little kid, and his eyes were still groggy from just waking up.

Rukia would then usually lean over and kiss the pointed, damningly aristocratic tip of his nose, and whisper back, "Morning to you too."

Byakuya would then allow his lips to curve into a slow, sensuous smile and tilt his head to get a better look at her face, and if the glowing, radiant sun hit his face just right, Rukia thought that he looked like a sun god in the bed, with his hair fanning out and the sunlight illuminating all the angles of his face perfectly.

Bliss.

* * *

This morning, Rukia hadn't been cranky at all. This morning, she had gone through the whole bliss ordeal again, when Byakuya had kissed her lightly on the lips (because on occasion, he woke up earlier than she did) when he had awoken. Rukia watched with drowsy eyes as he emerged, dripping wet, from the shower, and she thought that this couldn't possibly be the shinigami that had laid deathly still in the bed in the gray room in the Fourth division for months in the throes of a coma that refused to let go of him.

He was her miracle – Rukia had never bothered to think of what would have happened if even now, Byakuya was still in that coma and he would never come back to her, and she never would think about that horrible thought.

Byakuya seemed to instantly transform himself from half-asleep man in bed to stern, foreboding Kuchiki-taichou dressed in his shihakusho, scarf, and captain's haori in a matter of minutes.

He pulled his gloves on and attached Senbonzakura to his uniform before striding over to where Rukia sat on the bed and giving her a light kiss on the lips like a dutiful husband. "I won't be able to do lunch today because of a meeting with Yamamoto-genryuusai," he murmured. "But stop by the office after you get off of work and then we can come home together," he added.

Rukia nodded and watched Byakuya pull away and walk over to the door, pausing in opening it. "I love you," he said softly, and Rukia smiled.

"Love you too," she replied back and Byakuya's eyes softened at her before he turned around and walked off down the hallway, presumably to eat breakfast before shunpo-ing to work, since Byakuya (as expected of the taichou) got to work earlier than Rukia and probably much of the other shinigami.

Rukia sighed and pulled herself off of the bed, shivering slightly as she slipped out of the warm comforter that had had Byakuya's added extra heat. She padded into the bathroom and prepared herself for a long day at work.

* * *

Rukia had strode into her office at the Thirteenth Division (purposefully taking the shorter route to the Thirteenth Division that didn't encompass walking in a circle just to pass the Sixth Division buildings, as she used to do), a woman with a mission to finish all of the paperwork that had accumulated on her desk over the course of several weeks and before, Rukia had kind of nudged whole piles to the edges, dropped some on the floor, and stuffed others into drawers as she made room for new piles of paperwork. Rukia had drank an extra cup of green tea (supposedly, to fortify her energy and mental health) at breakfast and had brought along two rice balls to keep her strength up (nutrients and protein was generally a good thing) as she resolved to power through all of the paperwork that needed to be done.

She glanced jealously at Ukitake-taichou's desk, that was suspiciously empty of a lot of paperwork, and she guessed that he must have dumped it all on the unsuspecting Kiyone and Sentaro (unlike Rukia, who was a good soul and wouldn't ever think of doing that) and only signed where they required the taichou to sign. Ukitake-taichou hadn't come in yet, since he usually sauntered in at some later hour and gave an excuse varying between "I was visiting Kyouraku-taichou!" to "My lungs felt a bit weak this morning, so I decided to stay in bed for a little longer."

Rukia never bought any of these excuses, knowing Ukitake-taichou far too well, but Kiyone and Sentaro lapped them up and fawned over the taichou while Rukia rolled her eyes and continued doing her paperwork.

Rukia plopped down in her extra-comfy desk chair and rolled towards the desk (and her impending doom, since Rukia had always been one for drama). She whipped out a brush, and an ink pot, and glanced around at her stuffed, crowded with paperwork desk, the floor and general vicinity around her desk crowded with paperwork, and dreading it, she opened her drawers and saw all of the full of random stacks of paperwork except for the small, narrow one where she kept all of her paper clips, brushes, and ink pots.

Rukia forced herself to concentrate, and grabbed for the nearest pile of paperwork. This was definitely going to be a long day.

* * *

Rukia had a rather steep learning curve, and she was proud to say that she quickly learned how to power through paperwork at a quite fast speed. It was exasperating at first, since she had to fill out all the paperwork on missions _she_ didn't go on, but then she had the bright idea that _nobody_ looked at the paperwork anyways, since they just jammed it all into a filing cabinet up at the First Division, so she just made up random facts and wrote them all down on the paper.

Her first distraction came in the form of Kiyone, who bounced into the office and grinned at Rukia before dropping what looked like a _wrapped-up potted plant_ on Ukitake-taichou's desk and flounced off towards her own office. Rukia squashed down the desperate urge to look under the paper wrapping of whatever Kiyone had dropped on Ukitake-taichou's desk and resolutely turned back to her paperwork.

* * *

At half past nine, approximately, Ukitake-taichou walked into the office, exclaimed happily over whatever Kiyone's potted plant was, and walked back out.

* * *

By lunch, Rukia had grown from annoyed and exasperated to full blown crankiness, much like a little kid who hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before.

Rukia sullenly ate her rice and vegetable lunch, looking over yet more paperwork (she was slightly proud, though, that the stacks of unfinished paperwork had diminished a bit and the pile of completed paperwork that Rukia chucked at Ukitake-taichou's desk was getting higher and higher). She wondered if Byakuya dumped all of his paperwork on his fuku-taichou, and then Rukia thought about how exuberantly happy Renji seemed to be all the time, and deemed that impossible. Anyways, Byakuya was too strict and too noble to slack off of paperwork, no matter how much he hated it himself.

Kiyone tumbled back into the office with a platter of rice cakes she had procured somewhere and offered some to Rukia. Rukia wondered tiredly how Kiyone had gotten the huge piles of Ukitake-taichou's paperwork completed in such a short time and remembered that Sentaro had helped too.

Rukia scowled and grabbed four rice cakes and then bent back down to her work.

* * *

At the end of the day, Rukia was extremely glad to chuck the last stack of paperwork she had finished onto Ukitake-taichou's desk, and even though there were still several huge piles of paperwork littering the vicinity of Rukia's desk, she nodded satisfactorily to see that she had at least made a rather large dent in the work.

But then again, all of the fine print and boring instructions and endless writing had all blurred together in Rukia's mind and now her head hurt _and_ her wrist hurt. She wanted…she wanted to go find Byakuya and then go home, eat dinner, and then go to bed with him early, because nothing calmed her more after a hectic day than Byakuya's arms around her sides and his deep breathing rustling the hair on her neck.

Rukia walked into the Sixth Division, and everywhere, she saw accents of Byakuya's presence, from the faint sandalwood scent in the air to several scrolls that hung down walls with ancient proverbs Rukia recognized from Kuchiki etiquette books or such.

Renji's desk was cluttered and messy, but he wasn't there, so Rukia assumed that he was out running some errand for Byakuya.

The door to Byakuya's office was cracked barely open, and Rukia pulled it open.

She expected to see Byakuya sitting there doing his paperwork as usual, head bent over his work, and the setting sun doing glorious things to his hair and face, but instead, Rukia heard faint talking.

From the back, Rukia couldn't see very well, but a woman with long, stretching black hair leaned over Byakuya's desk and was talking to him.

Great. First, Rukia powered through stacks and stacks of paperwork, and now she had to deal with this…woman, whoever she may be.

It didn't help that Rukia was cranky and just wanted to bury her face in the warm crook of Byakuya's neck.

The woman or Byakuya hadn't noticed Rukia's entrance, so Rukia took a deep breath and eyed the woman viciously. "Who the _fuck_ are you?" she asked snappishly.

The woman whirled around in surprise (it didn't help that this woman was also taller than Rukia – not by a whole lot, though) and eyed Rukia with wariness, then arrogance.

Rukia took in the woman's perfectly oval face, bright green eyes set against long eyelashes, and perfect red lips that flashed white teeth as they curved into a smile. Her shihakusho was cut rather low (although not quite as low as Matsumoto's), and she had a zanpakuto strapped to one side.

She flipped her cascading black hair back and raised her head proudly. "Murano Maki, sixth division," she said.

Rukia gaped. _WHAT?_

-_keizoku_-

**A/N:** I'M SORRY I'M SORRY if the ending was too rushed. And I KNOW this chapter was like nothing but fluff. And rambling. And ByakuRuki loving (but that's not a bad thing...) and haha that was it. But I'll do something exciting soon. Very soon.

**POLL TIME.**

Who do you think this Murano Maki will turn out to be? (Maki is her first name, by the way...and too bad if you don't like it. I think the name is pretty cool.)

**a)** well, she's in the sixth division, so she's just a new shinigami or an old shinigami that Rukia never caught notice of XD a temporary character, perhaps?

**b)** she's going to steal Byakuya's heart from Rukia and then this story will turn to angst!

**c)** she's going to be the resident bitch and evil person in the story...and try to interfere with Byakuya and Rukia's relationship!

vote! And we'll see who gets it right :P

and if you're not up to voting, **reviewing** is always acceptable too.


	13. Holding on and never letting go

**Holding On and Never Letting Go** - Always There Chapter 13

**author:** Peppermint Kiss

**posted:** 12-20-07 (five more days 'till Christmas!)

* * *

Ah, 'tis the season for another AT chapter, eh? Lol. Anyways, this is the first chapter in AT that isn't linked to a 100situations prompt – mostly because I felt I ran out of good prompts in my claim to justify an AT chapter.

Anyways. Things start getting interesting now, so read up :D

An additional **note**: very sorry to all the readers about the format of earlier chapters. Oh well. This whole saga was only meant to be a twoshot at first, anyways. ;)

* * *

_She flipped her cascading black hair back and raised her head proudly. "Murano Maki, sixth division," she said._

_Rukia gaped. WHAT?_

* * *

Rukia angrily whipped around to glare at Byakuya, who was watching the little spat with a mild expression on his face. "Who, exactly, is she?" she hissed, indicating this Murano Maki standing next to her with a jerk of her head. 

Byakuya took a long-drawn out breath, and decided that it was inevitable that he was to get involved. "She's the newest transfer to the sixth division," he explained.

"I transferred to Seireitei from Gippondai," Maki drawled, and just the perfect melodious _sound_ of her voice ticked Rukia off. "That old man—"

"Yamamoto-genryuusai," Byakuya inserted, and Rukia gave an icy glare at him for helping her.

"—yes, him, told me that I would be best suited for the sixth division," Maki finished, before she turned and flashed a smile at Byakuya.

Rukia seethed.

Gippondai was a small town near Seireitei, although it wasn't quite as large and didn't have an organized combat force in it like Seireitei had the Gotei 13. Gippondai was also composed of souls, and only a few shinigami patrolled the streets to settle any problems.

"Kuchiki-taichou has agreed to take me under his wing and show me the ropes of Seireitei," Maki continued, twirling a silky strand of flowing black hair with her finger. "He's such a kind person."

_What blatant flattery_, Rukia thought. She really was a conniving little bitch – Rukia could always tell these types of people at first glance.

"However," Maki continued, staring down at Rukia with a disgusted look on her face, as if she couldn't even bother with people like Rukia in her perfect life. "who are you, speaking to me like that? I don't appreciate such crude words at a first appearance, you know. Perhaps you would like to brush up on your vocabulary, and next time use more…elegant words," she finished, with a sneer on her face.

Rukia's reiatsu noticeably flared in anger, and she couldn't believe that Byakuya was letting this _bitch_ get away with what was coming out of her mouth.

Rukia noticed that Byakuya looked a bit uneasy as he glanced between the two women facing off in front of his desk. It serves the coward right, Rukia thought irritably.

"For your information, _Murano-san_," Rukia started, "I am his wife, and I don't appreciate people like you trying to come on him when he is obviously married."

Maki looked at her in disbelief, before she started laughing and Rukia's cheeks flushed bright pink. "Oh, so you say! That's a really wonderful joke – you being Kuchiki-taichou's wife!"

Rukia's hand twitched as she fought the urge to slap Maki across the face. However, Byakuya decided to choose this moment as high time to interfere.

"She really is my wife," he said, effectively silencing Maki's laughter. "And Maki, perhaps—"

Rukia's fiery anger surged forth once again. "You know what, I don't care anymore," she screamed. "Come home at an appropriate hour, _Kuchiki-taichou_, when you're done with this tramp!"

She threw a glare at Maki, who returned it with a condescending sneer, before Rukia spun on her heel and stalked out, banging the door shut with as much force as she could manage.

* * *

_Later, at the Kuchiki mansion_

"I don't like her," Rukia announced venomously, throwing herself furiously onto the large bed as Byakuya emerged from the bathroom. He had a sheepish look on his face that didn't suit him and Rukia distinctly wondered if Maki's charms were rubbing off on the unflappable Kuchiki-taichou.

"She's my charge," Byakuya merely said with no feeling, and a sense of resignation. "It's my duty as the taichou of her division, after all."

"But honestly, did you hear what she said to me, the nerve of her—"

Byakuya kissed Rukia softly on the forehead as he arranged the covers of the bed around their bodies. "Just try to forget it, and I promise I'll try and drop in on you tomorrow at lunch, okay?"

Rukia smiled at him—he could always make her forgets the trials and tribulations of a hard, nasty day of work—and snuggled in closer to his body and breathed in his familiar, clean scent.

"That would be nice."

* * *

The next morning, Rukia got up later than usual and didn't accompany Byakuya to work – she decided to try and avoid that Maki girl at all costs. However, Rukia sometimes not-so-accidentally passed by the sixth division, and sometimes she saw Byakuya talking to Maki in front of the building, and that immediately got her ire up and she would storm away from the scene.

* * *

A week or so later, though, Rukia got up early enough so that she and Byakuya managed to leave for work at the same time, and she unabashedly followed Byakuya into his office in the sixth division, ignoring Byakuya's curious look behind his shoulder at her. 

Rukia's mood immediately spiked in anger as she saw the impeccably beautiful Murano Maki already writing something on a scroll of paper to one side of Byakuya's desk, and she looked up with a bright, perfect smile as Byakuya strode in, his haori fluttering regally behind him as if he was a king marching to his throne. However, Maki's expression soured almost instantly when Byakuya turned to seat himself at his desk and she saw Rukia standing in the doorway like a shadow.

"What are you doing here again?" Maki asked, her voice dripping with venom and irritation at having to deal with scum like Rukia.

Rukia's eyes blazed a menacing shade of violet. "I could say the same for you."

"Unlike you, I _work_ here, under Kuchiki-taichou, ne?" Maki punctuated this last point by abandoning her calligraphy on the scroll and smiling flatteringly at Byakuya, who regarded her with a look akin to boredom before he returned to whatever paperwork he was shuffling around.

Rukia seethed, again. This girl riled her up so easily—

Before she could retort, though, the door slid open again and Renji stuck his head in, taking notice of the surroundings (Byakuya flipping through paperwork, and Maki and Rukia viciously facing off against each other), before he deemed it safe and tiptoed in. Rukia drew breath to yell at him, surely her old childhood friend would help her in dealing with this bitch—

But then a soft voice interrupted Rukia's train of thought. "What's going on here, Maki?"

Rukia turned to see a woman of about Maki's age edge in through the door following Renji. She wore a standard-issue shinigami's shihakusho fitted appropriately (unlike Maki, Rukia thought with a sneer at Maki's obviously-exposed cleavage), inquisitive light blue eyes, and neat brown hair twisted up into a bun in a very Ise Nanao fashion, with a lone wooden chopstick thrust into the middle of it. Her face was more plain-looking and earnest than Maki's, and she was a bit shorter than the other shinigami, although a bit taller than Rukia, too. From what Rukia could gather, she could see no signs of a zanpakuto on the newcomer's body, although she was obviously a shinigami.

The newcomer turned to Rukia, as if noticing her for the first time. "Hello," she said, giving a slight bow to Rukia as decorum dictated, and noticing the Thirteenth division fukutaichou badge Rukia proudly displayed on her arm. "I'm Satushi Kimiko, sixth division. Most call me Kimi, anyways." She smiled, parting plump pink lips into a bright smile. "I came here from Gippondai with Maki, and I'm mentored under Renji there." She turned the bright grin onto Renji, and Rukia noticed, horrified, that Renji actually blushed a little and tried to hide a goofy smile of his own (although Rukia could see everything concerning her old friend).

"You'll have to excuse Maki," Kimiko, or Kimi, prattled on. "She doesn't like Seireitei that much – she prefers Gippondai more. She's not usually this mean, just give her time and you'll see." Rukia found it hard to dislike this new girl, with her eager grin and her sweet, coaxing voice, which was totally different from the snide tone Maki's voice carried from the few short encounters Rukia had had with the taller shinigami.

"H-hai," Rukia mumbled, at a lack of words. She fixed her gaze onto Byakuya, and noticed with annoyance that he was still signing paperwork and didn't give the slightest hint of noticing Renji and Kimi crowding along with Maki and Rukia in his office.

Kimiko, at best, could be defined as "cute". She wasn't that pretty, with a peasant-like roundish face that was slowly lengthening out, dull brown hair that she pinned up into her bun, and light blue eyes that sparkled when she smiled. Next to Maki, who was a denizen of beauty with flowing black hair, wicked green eyes, and a perfectly sculpted body, Kimiko simply couldn't compare.

"It was nice meeting you, Kimiko," Rukia muttered hastily, giving a slight dip of her head as she sidestepped towards the door. She elbowed Renji on her way out, not too regretfully as the red-haired fukutaichou was still grinning foolishly at Kimiko (she suspected that he might have had too much sugar in his breakfast that morning), and threw a vicious glare at Maki, before edging out of the room and sliding the door shut behind her.

As Rukia made her way to the Thirteenth Division, passing a whistling Kyouraku-taichou on the way, she thought that this morning was turning out to be very interesting indeed.

* * *

"Ohayo, Rukia!" Kiyone chirped cheerily upon Rukia's arrival into the Thirteenth Division offices, as she looked up from where she was watering a potted plant perched precariously atop tottering stacks of paperwork pile on Ukitake-taichou's desk. 

Rukia gaped. There hadn't been _that_ much paperwork yesterday…

"Ne, Rukia, what's up? You look kind of angry." Kiyone said, abandoning the watering can and peering at Rukia. "Is something wrong?"

Rukia slammed down her bag atop her desk with unnecessary force. "You could say there is," she growled. "That new girl in the sixth division, what's-her-face—Murano Maki. Why wasn't I warned that new shinigami would start popping up all over the place? The other girl, Satushi Kimiko, isn't all too bad, but Renji looks like he's hopelessly in love with her." She punctuated this sappy statement by rolling her eyes in irritation – not that she didn't believe in hopelessly in love herself (she tried to will away the image of Byakuya that suddenly appeared in her mind), but because of Renji's foolish behavior. "And then," she ranted on, "that other shinigami, Maki, is completely, unnecessarily flattering Byakuya and stealing _my_ husband away with matters or something that aren't even important."

Rukia sat down at her desk and withdrew a brush viciously from her drawer. She looked around to see Kiyone's reaction, but the other shinigami was nowhere to be found. The watering can had even disappeared.

"Figures," Rukia snorted in derision, and too pissed off at just the mere thought of Maki, she decided that nothing like dull paperwork would take her mind off of recent developments.

* * *

Rukia was surprised when Renji swung by the Thirteenth Division a little after lunch, telling Rukia that Yamamoto-genryuusai wanted to see the taichou and fukutaichou of the Sixth and Thirteenth divisions at three o'clock. 

Ukitake-taichou merely smiled merrily when Rukia informed him of the news, and at a little after a quarter till three, they (Rukia and Ukitake) set out towards the direction of the large First division headquarters.

Inside the meeting chamber, they bowed graciously to Byakuya and Renji, who were already there, and Rukia caught Byakuya's eye and gave him the smallest of smiles, which he grudgingly returned after a while.

The doors banged open, and Yamamoto-genryuusai strode in with all the dignity of a young shinigami.

"We are coming to dire times," he said, in his old creaky voice once tea had been served. "All of Soul Society, and especially Seireitei and the Gotei 13, are starting preparations for an attack by Aizen's forces in Hueco Mundo," he continued. "We know that what Aizen is after is the key to the palace – and he wants to crown himself king, but we cannot let that happen, at all costs, even if we must die for it." He pinned them all with a severe gaze that Rukia met with equal steel. "Therefore, as time lags on, I have decided to speed up preparations of all divisions of the Gotei 13 so that we may all be prepared when that day of the attack dawns, and we can successfully push back Aizen's forces."

"One essential part of my plan is for two divisions to work closely together, correlate and collaborate plans, and that is why you are here. The Sixth and the Thirteenth division will work together, train together, and strategize. I expect both of your divisions to do very well together and I also expect to see good results at the end of the preparation time frame."

Byakuya dipped his head respectfully, and Ukitake followed suit. Rukia's mind was spinning, though. Did that mean that she had to be smashed together with Maki every day from now on, because their divisions were training together?

On a brighter thought, though, now she definitely had an excuse to go see Byakuya whenever she wanted to…

"Other divisions are doing this too, under my plan," Yamamoto-genryuusai said. "Divisions like the seventh and eighth are also collaborating together. Your divisions' first training session shall be tomorrow." He closed his old eyes and stood up, and immediately, so did his audience. "Dismissed."

Yamamoto-genryuusai strode back through the doors through which he had emerged, his haori fluttering behind him. As soon as the doors had safely slammed closed, Ukitake turned and grinned at Rukia. "This'll be fun, won't it?" he asked.

* * *

The next day, Rukia trudged to the training grounds where both divisions had agreed to meet. She was hoping to achieve Sode no Shirayuki's bankai, and she felt that it would be soon, she could nearly feel it, and she hoped that Byakuya could help her. 

Too soon, though, she encountered the vileness that was Maki, blocking her way. Her long hair that Rukia had only seen flowing down her back, was neatly knotted into a thick braid hanging down her back in a very Nemu-like fashion, and she had her zanpakuto hanging in one hand.

"Get out of my way," Rukia said tiredly, not feeling like dealing with the bitch for the time being.

Maki's response was to sneer, and say, "Awww, are you going to go practice your shikai? I didn't know that your skill level was so low that you haven't even mastered your shikai yet!"

Her voice was syrupy sweet, but Rukia knew her intentions were far from it. Why was this Maki so hell-bent on provoking her all the time? From what Rukia could gather, they seemed to be the only ones out so far on the edges of the training field.

She hissed at Maki, her eyes shooting embers of violet fire. "My shikai is obviously good enough for a fukutaichou's position," she asserted confidently.

"Well then, we'll see about that," Maki retorted. "I'll show you a _real_ shikai, not that little show and trick you shinigami here in Seireitei call a shikai." Her zanpakuto had started to glow ominously, and Rukia faintly wondered if her zanpakuto was anything like Byakuya's Senbonzakura.

Rukia tightened her hold on Sode no Shirayuki, ready to draw it and use it should things get nasty and out of hand with Maki here.

"Think of it as a little spar," Maki said sweetly. Now she held her zanpakuto out in front her, and it was glowing a healthy yellow shade.

"All ready to go," she purred, and then drew breath to shout out her shikai.

-_keizoku_-

* * *

**A/N:** Heehee. I thought about revealing Maki's shikai in this chapter, but then decided that Rukia already went through enough, so that's gonna be in the next chapter. And Kimi's shikai too! 

Don't you all love Kimi? And poor Renji, he loves her so. I'll talk more about Kimi in the next chapter, too.

And I worry that I made Maki a little bit _too_ bitchy. Well, deal with it. Hopefully, she'll soften up soon, ne?

Allright. That's it for this round! All of you are great reviewers (greater than I am an updater…haha), and I'll see you next chapter (when I get around to it!)

**Review** and arigato!


	14. Inopportune

**Inopportune** – Always There Chapter 14

**author: **Peppermint Kiss

**posted: **3-15-08

**disclaimer:** I only own Maki and Kimi, and the plot. KT owns the rest.

I know I haven't posted in forever, and I'm sorry! I was soooo busy and I was suffering from writer's block, too. But I churned out this whole chapter in one night! Whoo! Welcome to all old and new fans, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it :3

* * *

"Yusaburu!" Maki shouted. "_Raiko!_" (1) 

Rukia leapt back instinctively as the crackling aura that had been ominously growing around Maki suddenly blossomed into one gigantic boom. She swore that her hair stood up on the end as a searing, bright lightning bolt issued out of Maki's zanpakuto (at that time, Rukia didn't notice that the lightning bolt _was_ Maki's zanpakuto) and rushed by her face in a blur of white light and crackling electricity.

Her hand gripped even more tightly onto Sode no Shirayuki, and Rukia drew breath to shout out the second dance, _tsugi no mai, hakuren_, hoping that if Maki wanted a spar, Rukia would _give_ her a spar, dammit.

But before Rukia could even shout out the first syllable of her shikai, Maki's lightning bolt slammed into a tree in a bright explosion of light. The light faded, and Rukia expected smoke to ensue from the collision of wood and fiery heat, but surprisingly, there wasn't any. Shocked, Rukia peered at the thick tree trunk, and found no burn marks, nor charred bark.

Instead, there was a single long, vicious, cut across the old tree's trunk, and it looked like the lethal cut a freshly-sharpened zanpakuto could make. Rukia slowly turned around from her inspection and stared hard at Maki, wondering what exactly this shinigami's zanpakuto was.

As Rukia met Maki's smug green eyes, the rogue lightning bolt that was quite possibly Maki's zanpakuto materialized again at her side and Rukia watched it warily.

"Don't even bother pulling out that little ribbon of your sword," Maki proclaimed haughtily. "It won't work on my Raiko."

Rukia didn't want to show that she was definitely unsettled by Maki's odd zanpakuto, but she was also curious to learn more. Carefully trying to manipulate Maki with her proud personality, Rukia said with a quirk of a smile, "It's an interesting sword."

"Of course it is," Maki replied with a sneer, falling into Rukia's trap. "My zanpakuto transforms into this lightning bolt which I can control with my hands to go wherever. I can also gather electricity from the clouds to boost my reiatsu, since my zanpakuto _is_ lightning, after all."

"And what about that little trick with the tree just then?" Rukia asked casually, letting Maki play the braggart up as much as she wanted.

"Oh, that's just my shikai," Maki said dismissively. "Raiko can cut anything and everything like a real, large zanpakuto." Her eyes gleamed. "The next part of my shikai, or maybe my bankai, can maybe use electricity just like in real lightning."

"How extraordinary," Rukia mumbled under her breath. She suddenly realized with a sinking feeling that this was probably why Maki was being tutored, for the time being (or so Rukia hoped), under Byakuya. It was because the new shinigami's shikai was extraordinarily like the shikai of Byakuya's _chire_, Senbonzakura, in the fact that Maki's zanpakuto transformed and she could freely move it around with her hands and perhaps even her mind, although Maki hadn't mentioned that yet.

Maki smirked and tossed her hair back confidently. "Now that you've seen Raiko, what say to you that we really start this spar? I want to see how long your scrap of a ribbon can hold up against Raiko's prowess."

Rukia's last thought before the adrenaline of a battle (a spar, a spar, Rukia chided herself) washed over her was that Maki was extraordinarily arrogant.

* * *

Byakuya had finished lecturing half of the sixth division on how to best use their shikai when stuck in a bad situation against the enemy, and while the eager shinigami put their new skills to use, Byakuya banished the sakura petals (courtesy of Senbonzakura) that he had been using as a demonstration before wandering off over the hills of the training area. 

He wondered where Murano-san had gone, and thought that he really must tell her one day to stop torturing Rukia so. It had been hammered into his mind a long time ago, growing up in the Kuchiki household, that one must always be polite and courteous to strangers and guests, and Byakuya considered Murano-san and Satushi-san as guests, since they didn't originate from Seireitei or the surrounding area. This being so, Byakuya had tried to hold off on enforcing a few rules on Murano-san's behavior (he wondered what had caused her to be so haughty in the first place because it was rather chilling; it was like dealing with what he was like in the past, after Hisana's death and before his marriage to Rukia) but after Rukia had ranted to him for the past few days, Byakuya saw that what Murano-san was doing to Rukia was perhaps a bit too much.

Speaking of Rukia, Byakuya continued to worry that Rukia thought that he was going to get stolen away from her by Murano-san. He had made it explicitly clear to Murano-san on the very first day, in a flat, blunt tone, that he was married, and nothing would change that. However, this didn't seem to deter Murano-san, and Byakuya suffered from her (quite bad) flirting attempts several times a day, but each time he batted them off with dull, monotone answers.

He had wanted to have a good talk with Rukia and explain to her what was really happening (despite what Rukia thought was really happening), but the recent chaos in Seireitei as the Gotei 13 geared up to defend against Aizen's upcoming attacks from Hueco Mundo kept both Byakuya and Rukia busy. Byakuya had thought that since the Sixth and the Thirteenth Division got paired together, he could pull aside Rukia and quickly outline the situation for her, but unfortunately, that opportunity hadn't happened yet.

Now, as Byakuya strolled through the fields and meadows that covered the vast training grounds allotted for the Sixth and Thirteenth Divisions, he nodded approvingly as small clusters of shinigami from both divisions bobbed their head in submission or greeting, while other more enthusiastic and friendly shinigami called out a cheerful greeting despite the heavy gloom that hung over most of Seireitei as everyone started to realize that it was now time for heavy warfare in order to fend off Aizen's formidable forces.

In a small patch of meadow near the woods, Byakuya watched from a distance as Renji and Satushi-san worked together on their zanpakutos, before Satushi-san clapped in wonder as Renji unveiled Zabimaru's bankai. Byakuya raised his left eyebrow as he noticed a flaw in the snakelike structure that formed Zabimaru's bankai, and he started forward to tell Renji of it, but halted when Renji grinned goofily at something Satushi-san said and strode forward to kiss her tenderly on the cheek, an action that Satushi-san returned by passionately kissing him on the mouth.

Byakuya repressed a long-suffering sigh, and made quick mental notes to scold Renji for carrying on an affair with Satushi-san (Seireitei was now practically a wartime zone for a reason, and Renji's head was needed to think of clever strategies and quick tactics, not to plan dates with Satushi-san) and for Renji to fix that flaw in Zabimaru's bankai.

However, Byakuya, being the romantic he was (a fact only Rukia knew, and she would tease him mercilessly about it, despite his vehement denial), left Renji and Satushi-san to their make-out session, knowing that even in desperate times of war (Aizen's Espada, Arrancar, and Hollow forces far outnumbered Seireitei's meager shinigami troops in a ratio of almost 3 to 1), it was essential that people got the most out of the fleeting happy moments they could grab.

Byakuya continued on his walk, striding with a confident air through scrubby brush, and hearing the distant sounds of yelling that indicated a spar was going on, because Byakuya would be notified immediately if Aizen's forces penetrated the protective sphere around Seireitei.

Suddenly, a crystalline column of jagged ice shot up out of the trees and into the air, and Byakuya, from his quick mental calculations, deduced that since Hitsugaya's Tenth Division training grounds were too far away for the ice shikai to be his Hyourinmaru, only one other ice zanpakuto user could be in a possible spar right now: Rukia.

Byakuya also knew that Rukia commanded enough respect, being the fukutaichou of the Thirteenth Division, that only two people would dare to spar with her, after she announced quite clearly that she would rather be alone today, to work on her bankai, to the whole assembled group earlier that morning – Ukitake, or Murano-san.

It couldn't be Ukitake because Byakuya's old mentor was probably too indolent today to bother drawing out his zanpakuto for a spar. The last Byakuya had seen of the Thirteenth Division taichou, Ukitake had been meandering along a small brook, humming about flowers and flowerpots in general.

Then it could only be one person. Byakuya's heart raced as he cast a network of his reiatsu and identified Rukia's reiatsu emanating from Sode no Shirayuki, but also the familiar crackling reiatsu of Murano-san's Raiko.

Byakuya knew that Murano-san had great stores of reiatsu within her body the first day she had strutted into his office. However, he had to teach her stubborn, rebellious, character for weeks to teach her how to properly harness appropriate amounts of reiatsu for what she needed done, instead of pouring out all of her reiatsu at once.

He didn't want to know what Murano-san was capable of if she was provoked enough to open up all of her reiatsu stores.

Byakuya harnessed spiritual power to his feet, and shunpoed in the blink of an eye to the clearing where the "spar" was taking place. Many trees held long, jagged scars, courtesy of Murano-san's Raiko, while the ground the two shinigami were fiercely dueling on was coated with a glistening sheen of ice that didn't melt under the sun, from Rukia's Sode no Shirayuki.

Rukia darted around the clearing, appearing on one tree, then behind a bush, agilely fending off Murano-san's various attacks. Byakuya swelled with pride as he noticed that her shunpo had visibly improved, before his mind dropped back down into the dark pit of worry as a shield of ice sent up by Sode no Shirayuki barely deflected the bolt of lightning that personified Murano-san's Raiko.

Murano-san's Raiko was persistent, however, and it doggedly followed Rukia as she shunpoed away in a dizzying whirl of white ribbon and flying black _shihakusho. _Rukia lost her footing on a tree branch and recovered it one second too late, just in time for Murano-san to flick her wrist and allow her Raiko to pursue Rukia, and Byakuya watched in impending horror as the dangerously pulsing bolt of lightning neared Rukia…

However, Rukia's mind was quick, and she reflexively brought up Sode no Shirayuki to meet Murano-san's Raiko head-on, and Byakuya knew this was a defensive move that Rukia only pulled out in dire situations, because to use the third dance to repair Sode no Shirayuki required a good part of her reiatsu.

A stunning flash of light and a horrible grating sound ensued as the two zanpakutos, one in metal form (and the white ribbon still circled protectively around Sode no Shirayuki) and the other morphed into a formidable lightning bolt, battled for dominance. Eventually, Byakuya sensed that Rukia's reiatsu was waning and she gave forth one last burst, expelling Murano-san's Raiko a good distance away, but at the price of having Sode no Shirayuki splinter into several shards of ice and rain down onto the ground below.

Murano-san laughed at Rukia and Byakuya seethed from his position behind her. Rukia, not having noticed Byakuya, busied herself with repairing her broken zanpakuto, and Murano-san quickly stopped laughing when Rukia righted herself, Sode no Shirayuki thrust out in front of her, as good as new.

"Don't laugh yet, Maki-san," Rukia announced sweetly. "This 'spar' of yours isn't over yet." And with that, she leapt into the air in a blur, admirably disappearing from even Byakuya's sharp eyes.

Murano-san's reiatsu suddenly swelled to unnatural levels as the lightning bolt that was Raiko grew larger as more reiatsu was channeled to it. Byakuya panicked slightly as he realized that Murano-san was unleashing the hidden stores of reiatsu that he had told her to never, ever use unless it was a matter of life or death – but he figured that Murano-san wouldn't listen to him very closely.

Byakuya knew that Rukia's reiatsu was low and quickly ebbing away, and he knew that it was high time to intervene rather than just helplessly watch. What happened to the brave, all-powerful Kuchiki-taichou of the Sixth Division?

Murano-san and Rukia were both too preoccupied to notice Byakuya's inconspicuous entrance into the clearing, except for the slightest swish of a white haori. He drew out Senbonzakura, the sleek metal of his zanpakuto reflecting the sunlight, and whispered two words: "Chire, Senbonzakura."

-_to be continued…-_

* * *

(1) Yusaburu means "jolt" and Raiko means "lightning". Fitting, ne? ;) 

**A/N:** Yay! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I'm so glad that Byakuya's point of view was explained and written out, because I've been waiting to do that for a long time.

Well, other than that, there isn't much. I know a lot of you have complained that Maki is a bitch, and yes, she's supposed to be that way, but there's a lot behind her that you don't know yet. Just wait and see ;)

Oh, and let me know what you think about Renji and Kimi's romance. I think it's a nice little side story.

I will try to update soon, but based on my schedule…who knows? Anyways, **review!!**


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